the race card

Irony has an unusually bazaar way of showing its head. While in Orlando this weekend (really Altamonte), I picked up an edition of the Orlando Sentinel – a move that lead many on the instant to discern I was not from around them parts. Although I was really interested in getting a recap of the 2007 NBA draft and provide my own self serving appraisal of the results, two stories on the front page adjacent to each other caught my eyes.

The first regarded a decision by Disney to reverse life time bans on four 17-year old African American male youth (who happened to be Florida State University Football prospects) from Disney for loitering The four were Avis Commack, Nigel Carr and Nickolas Moody and Vincent Williams. The decision was reversed after Philadelphia-based civil rights attorney Adrian J. Moody (father of Nickolas) looked into the situation to see if Disney was using racial profiling given that 45 of the 46 citations giving out for loitering were given to African American and Latino youth.

The other story regarded the U.S. Supreme court ruling to limit the use of race in school assignments in an effort to build diversity. The decision, 5-4 was announced by Justice John Roberts. It is just one decision in a line of many that seems to suggest that the court has moved to the other side – almost Reaganesque. From Gonzales Vs. Planned Parenthood of America to this Meredith vs. Jefferson County.

It just seems so ironic, the juxtaposition of know that one can no longer use race for the purpose of educational diversity, but that it’s ok, to pick people out and use it to ban or even jail them. Thumbs up to the new court for playing the race card.