Sardonic Sistah Says

Ahn “Joseph” Cao is not black nor Democrat but should he join the  Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)? 

Cao hasn’t officially approached the caucus for membership but odds are an invitation won’t be extended to him.  Members of the CBC aren’t talking,  but longtime Caucus watchers think it won’t happen but doesn’t think the idea of Cao joining is too farfetched.

In the Times Picayune University of London’s political scientist Robert Singh said “It seems odd that someone representing a majority, or even heavily black, district would still be refused.” and Vanderbilt University Law Professor Carol Swain said, “If the purpose of the caucus is to advance the interests of a group that is seen as disenfranchised or plagued with more serious problems than other Americans, then the membership should not be based on the racial characteristics of the member, but on the makeup of the district.”

But the CBC has kept out people before that didn’t meet their criteria.  Former Connecticut Republican Gary Franks was labeled a traitor because he didn’t always agree with the viewpoints of other members.  He was excluded from meetings until finally he left the group.

White Congressmen have also tried to join.  Stephen Cohen, a liberal white Democrat from Memphis Tennessee represents a majority black district.  He received a negative reaction when he tried to join that he decided to back off because he didn’t want to antagonize political allies.

Cao can join the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus(CAPIC).  CAPIC is inclusive and has two members of African American descent.  Al Green (D, TX) and Robert C.  Scott.  Scott is of African American, Hispanic and Filipino ancestry but both men represent districts that have a considerable Asian constituency.

The Congressional Hispanic American Caucus exclusively has Hispanic members.

From the Times Picayune:

Michael Fauntroy, a political scientist at George Mason University whose uncle, Walter, formerly belonged to the Congressional Black Caucus as the longtime delegate to Congress from the District of Columbia, said he felt Cao’s bid for caucus membership was “a very smart move on his part.”

“It sends a message to black voters in his district that, even though he’s a Republican, he is doing more than just paying lip service to the history of the district,” said Fauntroy. “I don’t expect it to work out, but if it doesn’t, to me the caucus will look bad on this.”

 I found this link over on the Digrasian site.

How often do you read about a young black man going to college to play football and then delaying his chance to play in the NFL because he has the chance to be a Rhodes Scholar?  I’ve never heard of it.  I’ve heard of  a guy who played in the NFL and was illiterate.  I’ve heard of a guy who tried to leave college early to jump into the NFL.  And I’ve heard countless stories of athletes gone wild (like this one).  But never have I heard one like Myron Rolle’s.

Myron Rolle graduated from college in 2.5 years majoring in exercise science and a concentration in pre-med.  He has a GPA of 3.75 and he is serious about his coursework.  He once told his football coach he would quit the team if practice conflicted with his science lab.  And now he’s a Rhodes Scholar, in essence telling the NFL the draft will have to wait a year or two for him because he needs to get his learning on.

And what does he plan to study at Oxford?  Medical Anthropology.

As long as I can remember we have always treated athletes as subsequential students.   They are in school but basically they are just biding their time to make it in the NBA or NFL.  Some have complained that athletes take seats away from students who really want to attend college to learn.  Myron Rolle is the embodiment of a student athlete.  I really wish he could be the rule and not the exception.

Kudos to you Myron.