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Cynthia Marshall:  1st NBA African American Female CEO

Black History: Special Delivery!!

CYNTHIA-MARSHALL
Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall – Interim CEO Dallas Mavericks

On Monday, February 26, 2018, Cynthia Marshall was announced as the new interim CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. Marshall is 58 years old and recently retired from an executive role as a Chief Diversity Officer with AT & T. She retired after a 36 year career with there. After leaving AT & T, Marshall launched a consulting firm which focused on the areas of leadership, diversity/inclusion, and culture transformation.

She was recruited by Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban following the resignation of the former CEO, Tederma Ussery amid allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct that was released in a recent Sports Illustrated article. Marshall will have the opportunity to drop the “interim” portion of her job title if she chooses. Highly recommended from AT & T leadership, Marshall has some tough work ahead of her. She appears to be up to the challenge!

Sources:

http://theurbannews.com/business/2008/im-every-woman-cynthia-g-marshall-president-att-north-carolina/

http://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/article/22587581/interim-ceo-cynthia-marshall-hopes-make-dallas-mavericks-model-response-misconduct

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-mavericks/mavericks/2018/02/26/new-interim-ceo-cynthia-marshall-promises-2019-mavericks-will-standard-diversity-inclusiveness

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Katrina Adams: 1st African American President of U.S. Tennis Association

Black History: Special Delivery!!

We’ve seen the headlines about Sloane Stephens defeating Venus Williams to win the U.S. Open. It’s great to see another wave of African American women excelling in the sport.

Many may not know the CEO of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is also an African American woman. Katrina Adams has been at the helm since 2015. She is USTA’s first African American CEO and its youngest CEO in the 135 year history of the organization.

An accomplished, tennis pro, Adams began playing tennis in Chicago in 1975 at the age of six. She played tennis in college for Northwestern University before launching her 12 year professional career. She also spent several years as a tennis coach.

Adams is proud of the progress that African American women have made in tennis. She would like to see greater participation in the sport by African American boys and Latino youth.

Sources:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/amp/usta-president-katrina-adams-bringing-diversity-u-s-open-n799411

https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/usta-leadership/national/katrina-adams.html

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Louise Stokes & Tidye Pickett: 1st African American Women To Qualify For U.S. Olympic Team

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

tidye-pickett-and-louise-stokes
Tidye Pickett (back row, far right), Louise Stokes, (3rd from the left-back row)

Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) has the distinction  of having one of the first women’s track teams in the United States.  The team was started in 1929.  3 years later, two African American women,  Louise Stokes (1913-1978) and Tidye Pickett (1914-1986) qualified for the 1932 Olympics in track and field.     (Neither Stokes nor Pickett attended Tuskegee).   They traveled to the Olympics with the team but were not allowed to compete because of their race.  Replaced by 2 white teammates, Pickett and Stokes watched from the stands as their team competed.

Continue reading “Louise Stokes & Tidye Pickett: 1st African American Women To Qualify For U.S. Olympic Team” →

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Another Legend Has Left Us: Muhammad Ali Dead At 74

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

 

Today we are sharing 7 little known facts about the life of the incomparable Muhammad Ali who died on June 3, 2016 at the age of 74.

  1. Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Clay. He was named at birth after an abolitionist. When he converted to the Muslim faith, he changed his name initially to Cassius X. At the time, Ali, was also good friends with Malcolm X. When Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam, Cassius X decided to change his name to show that chose to remain loyal to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad rather than following Malcolm X. In 1964, he changed to Muhammad Ali
  2. Ali inspired Sylvester Stallone to make “Rocky”. Ali fought a little known boxer, Chuck Wepner. Ali did beat Wepner, but it took him the full 15 rounds. Wepner was recognized for his grit in going the distance with the champ. Rocky’s opponent, “Apollo Creed” was inspired by Ali.
  3. He never turned down an autograph request. As a young boy he was denied an autograph by Sugar Ray Robinson. He vowed that should he become famous he would never deny his fans. He even had a special P.O. Box for anyone wanting an autograph.
  4. He used to race the school bus. Instead of “riding” the bus, he “raced” the bus to school as a child in Louisville, KY.
  5. He threw away his gold medal. Ali won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. He wore the medal frequently. When he was refused service at a restaurant because of his race, he then threw his Gold medal into the Ohio River stating that he would not wear in a country where he would be denied service.
  6. A stolen bicycle launched is boxing career. When he was 12, his new bike was stolen. When he went to the police station to report the bike stolen, he met an officer there who introduced him to boxing. He also vowed that he was going “whip” whoever stole his bike. However the bike was never found.
  7. He recorded an album. In 1963, he made of recording of Ben E. King’s, “Stand By Me”. It was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. The recording was part of Ali’s, “I Am The Greatest” spoken-word album.

 

 

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Celebrating The 90th Anniversary of The Harlem Globetrotters

Black History: Special Delivery!!

 

harlem globetrotters

 

The Harlem Globetrotters are internationally beloved for their entertainment and basketball athleticism. In their 90 year history, they have played more than 20,000 games in more than 100 countries. The Harlem Globetrotters were founded in Chicago by Abe Saperstein, as the “Savoy Big Five” in 1926.   It was an all African American team. The team debuted as the New York Globetrotter in Hinckley, IL in January 1927. The name was switched to the Harlem Globetrotters in 1930 to reflect its predominately black roster. Continue reading “Celebrating The 90th Anniversary of The Harlem Globetrotters” →

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Two Women Wear Blackface To Serena Williams’ Australian Open Tennis Match

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

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Here we go again!  Why can’t they leave Serena Williams alone!   At the Australian Open on January 27, 2016, a woman in black face was photographed holding up a sign that said, “Keep Calm And Be Serena”.  Continue reading “Two Women Wear Blackface To Serena Williams’ Australian Open Tennis Match” →

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Trinidad and Tobago Gymnast Creates New Move, Eyes Rio Olympics

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Check out this new gymnastics move created, by gymnast, Marisa Duck of Trinidad and Tobago.  Her signature move has been named after her, and also has its own scoring for competitions.  Marisa has her sights on the next Olympics and hopes to be selected as part of Trinidad’s Olympic team.   Continue reading “Trinidad and Tobago Gymnast Creates New Move, Eyes Rio Olympics” →

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Jackie Robinson: 1st Black Player In Major League Baseball Court Martialed In 1942

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson

Black Mail Fast Facts: Many people know about legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson. He was the first African American player to integrate major league baseball. What you may not know about him is that he was a lieutenant in the 761st “Black Panther” Tank Battalion of the U.S. Army. In 1942, he was one of the few black officers in the unit who refused orders to sit in the back of a military bus at Fort Hood, TX. As a result, he was court martialed. The charges were eventually dropped against him. The orders to have him sit in the back of the bus were actually a violation of War Department policy which prohibited racial discrimination in recreational and transportation facilities at all Army posts.

 

Check out some of our recent posts:

True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Legacy Of Wilsonism

Negritude: Disorder Of Being Black

Violette Anderson: First African American Woman Admitted To Practice Before The U.S. Supreme Court

 

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