The commentator running commentary from one of the stations, during the historic Oregon World Athletics Championship 2022, women 100 meters hurdles could not hide his dislike for Blacks, especially Blacks from Africa.
Listening to him, he started by calling out USA Kendra Harrison’s name as starting very well and added that her teammate, Alia Armstrong, was also running very well. Then he mentioned Nigeria’s Tobi Amusansaying,“now here comes, Tobi Amusan.”
If one were to be listening to radio commentary, he or she would have had the impression that Tobi Amusan just popped into the lead from behind, over taking Kendra and Alia. But watching the video, the story was different.
Tobi Amusan took the lead after the third hurdle and stormed ahead like a jet plane; at the time the commentator was highlighting on the good strides by Kendra Harrison. It was only after clearing the eighth hurdle and two more to go, making it very impossible to be beaten, that the commentator screamed, “now here comes, Tobi Amusan.”
In the end, Tobi broke her own record, which she set some hours earlier. She pulled the 12.12 seconds record down to 12.06, and none of the US hurdlers, earlier mentioned and elevated, came within the top three.
All the finalists were Blacks, but only one was from homeland Africa and the commentator did not acknowledge her until, he had no choice. This confirms an adage, I composed myself, “We, (Blacks)have to be better than their best, before the Whiteswill consider us good enough.”
Tobi’s new record was not acknowledged with the claim that it was wind assisted, so the 12.06 seconds was scrapped and the 12.12 seconds maintained. May the Living God we serve, make Tobi Amusan run, 12.01 seconds in the next international meet.
What is equally discriminatory was how South African Caster Semenya was treated and forced to stop running her favourite middle-distance races. She wasdiagnosed and found to be having higher levels of testosterone, that made her more of a man and gave her unfair advantage over other women in thosetracks.
The recent Olympics games, in Tokyo, saw the transgender Canadian Quinn, winning gold in women’s soccer. Quinn was person born a male, but later decided he was to be a woman, went through all the surgeries to become one. This man-woman was allowed to compete against naturally born women. Here, no one saw any unfair advantage.
Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand was also a transgender whocompeted in the Tokyo Olympics. She was a weightlifter.As for a Black African who was naturally born a woman, she had to be barred from competing, because she was much stronger than the average women.
The way the West considers Blacks, especially in the field of sports, is not the best. Black American Tiger Woods was shot down from fame and treated like a common criminal when he committed adultery, something very much in vogue among White sports men. Soccer star, Ryan Giggs got his own brother’s wife pregnant. Another soccer star, John Terry started sleeping with the girlfriend of a fellow England team mate, Wayne Bridge.
Talking about sex scandals, Black American Bill Cosby was put on trial and jailed after he was accused of sex scandals; yet President Trump who was also accused of committing the same offence, was never invited for questioning.
And when Barak Obama became president, he was called the first Black president, even though he was mixed race of Black African and white American. He was not white enough to be considered their own.
There are many Blacks playing leading roles in science, astronomy and space, medicine, agriculture, finance and other fields who despite their great contributions, are not celebrated. Kofi Annan was the first Black to head the United Nations and he did exceedingly well, that the Whites had no option but to celebrate him.
What lessons do we have to learn from this? We need to hold on to our own and as we celebrate Tobi Amusan, today, she should be celebrated as an African. The whole of Black Africa should own her and celebrate her as if she is from all the African nations and not only from Nigeria. She is, Africa’s own.
We must not adopt the pull-him-down attitude and destroy anyone who is trying to make it, but instead use whatever resources and words of good advice and encouragement to push that person up. Love and togetherness are the virtues we must cherish and practice, because we are on our own.
We must not look down upon ourselves or upon a fellow Black, because we can make it and can be better than the Whites. Let us not be disturbed whenever we are not acknowledged by the Whites, because to them, we have to be better than their best before they consider us good enough. Tobi Amusan is far better than their best and yet the commentator did not acknowledge her until he had no choice. Some BBC sports journalists even doubted her performance and her record.
May the Good Lord God, bless and lift up, Tobi Amusan and all Black Africans who are endeavouring in various diverse ways to come out tops, to the glorification of God Almighty.
Hon Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
