This week the University of Wyoming made a formal apology to the The Black 14 who, as members of the 1969 football team, were dismissed for wanting to wear black armbands as a civil rights protest.
I can’t do justice to the story of injustice, so I’ll share the newspaper article that also has more links. trib.com/… Below is a quote from the article by Davis Potter that appeared in the Casper Star-Tribune:
Ivie Moore, [Tony] Gibson, [John] Griffin, [Guillermo] Hysaw, [Tony] McGee and [Mel] Hamilton said then they were still trying to dispel what they referred to as myths about what happened the day before the BYU game during that 1969 season. That day, all 14 of them approached Wyoming head coach Lloyd Eaton in the field house with the intention of asking for permission to wear black armbands in protest of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ policy then of barring African-Americans from pursuing the priesthood.
...Some Black 14 members said they wanted to protest the racial slurs and cheap shots they said they endured during the game at BYU the previous year.
Just trying to ask the question was enough to get players Jerome Berry, Ted Williams, Earl Lee, John Griffin, Willie Hysaw, Don Meadows, Ivie Moore, Tony Gibson, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, Jim Issac, Tony McGee, Lionel Grimes, and Ron Hill dismissed from the team. That act disrupted their collegiate careers and their lives. Protests erupted both in defense of the team and of the coach.
Now every year the University of Wyoming holds “Days of Dialogue” to honor Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to promote social justice. As part of the 2019 event, members of the Black 14 engaged in discussions with the University President Laurie Nichols and the Athletic Director Tom Burman about the wrongs they had endured. (Kudos to Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Emily Monago, students, faculty, and staff who helped bring this together.)
As a result of the dialogue Nichols and Burman drafted a formal letter of apology in May 2019. The apology was presented to the players in public this week as part of a commemoration of the Black 14, many of whom came back to campus to accept the offering. A plaque in their honor was unveiled at the stadium and the courageous men will be honored at half time today. I will be among the crowd cheering these men. I get choked up thinking about what it will be like for them to return to the field.
Let’s hope Colin Kaepernick does not have to wait 50 years for people to recognize his right to protest.
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Post-game Update:
A video of the Black 14 story was shown at half time on the video screen. Burman introduced each member and they were given the letter jackets they should have received 50 years ago. The crowd was respectful and cheered when the athletes were introduced. One player Ted Williams raised both hands with a victory/peace signs. During the introductions, a guy in his seventies near me tapped the shoulder of the younger guy in front of him and pointed out one player as being an All-American.
The crowd listened when former Senator Al Simpson closed the commemoration repeating a line he said at George Bush’s funeral. “Remember, hate corrodes the container that holds it.” Peace, you all.