Friday, March 15, 2013

the last book I ever read (The Big O by Oscar Robertson, excerpt five)



from The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game by Oscar Robertson:

Although I am not writing this book to relate every injustice I’ve suffered, it’s simply impossible to tell my story without talking about race. As much as I am an American, I am a black American. And to tell you about growing up in the Jim Crow South, and a segregated, Klan-infested Midwest, I must acknowledge the influence of race. Similarly, it’s impossible to discuss my experiences with basketball without mentioning race, black and white. Otherwise, you might as well think about America’s history during the second half of the twentieth century without acknowledging the civil rights movement. Or consider the Civil War without mentioning slavery. The subjects are all intertwined.



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