We Won’t Shut up and Dribble: A Short History of Black Athletic Protest

By

Derrick E. White

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Morris Brown College Baseball Team

Morris Brown College Baseball Team

Baseball players from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia, c. 1899.

An artist's rendition of the 1968 Olympics Human Rights Salute.

Olympics Human Rights Salute

An artist's rendition of the 1968 Olympics Human Rights Salute located in Brisbane, Australia. Image by Rae Allen.

Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe stand with their 4x100 metres relay teammates.

Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe

Jesse Owens (left), Ralph Metcalfe (second left) stand with their 4x100 metres relay teammates Foy Draper (second right) and Frank Wykoff (right), at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

A Nike advertisment from 1985 featuring Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan for Nike

A Nike advertisment from 1985 featuring Michael Jordan.

Oakland Raiders players kneel during the National Anthem.

Oakland Raiders Kneel

Oakland Raiders players kneel during the National Anthem in 2017.

LeBron James in his Cleveland Cavaliers uniform.

LeBron James

LeBron James in his Cleveland Cavaliers uniform, 2008.

A large group of people protest against police violence.

Justice for George Floyd

A large group of people protest against police violence after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, May, 2020.

Jockey Isaac Murphy in 1885.

Isaac Murphy

Jockey Isaac Murphy in 1885.

Jockey Oliver Lewis riding Aristides to victory.

Oliver Lewis

Jockey Oliver Lewis, a black man from Kentucky, riding Aristides to victory in the inaugural Kentucky Derby, 1875.

Jack Johnson fights James J. Jeffries.

Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson (right) fights James J. Jeffries in 1910.

The St. Louis Giants pictured in 1916.

St. Louis Giants

The St. Louis Giants, pictured in 1916, later became a team in the National Negro League.

American Joe Louis fights German Max Schmeling.

Joe Louis

American Joe Louis fights German Max Schmeling in 1936.

Ralph Metcalfe with Jesse Owens and Frank Wykoff.

Team USA Track

Ralph Metcalfe (center) with Jesse Owens (left) and Frank Wykoff (right) on the deck of the S. S. Manhattan as the team sailed for Germany ahead of the 1936 Olympics.

Joe Louis sews on the stripes of a technical sergeant to his army uniform.

Joe Louis in the Army

Joe Louis sews on the stripes of a technical sergeant to his army uniform, 1945.

Jackie Robinson during the filming of The Jackie Robinson Story.

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson during the filming of The Jackie Robinson Story, 1950.

Bill Russell during his first years with the Celtics franchise.

Bill Russell

Bill Russell during his first years with the Celtics franchise, c. 1960.

Zbigniew Pietrzykowski and Muhammad Ali.

1960 Rome Olympics

Zbigniew Pietrzykowski (left) and Muhammad Ali (right) at the Rome Olympics in 1960.

Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls, c. 1990.

Serena and Venus Williams at the 2013 US Open.

Serena and Venus Williams

Serena and Venus Williams at the 2013 US Open.

Black Lives Matter protest on September 20, 2015, against police brutality.

Black Lives Matter Protest

Black Lives Matter protest on September 20, 2015, against police brutality in St. Paul, Minnesota. Image by Fibonacci Blue.

Members of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the National Anthem.

San Francisco 49ers

Members of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the National Anthem before a game against the Washington Redskins, 2017.

Raphael Warnock in 2020 before his election to the U.S. Senate.

Senator Warnock

Raphael Warnock in 2020 before his election to the U.S. Senate. An election he won with the help of WNBA players.

Tidye Pickett training for Olympic hurdles.

Tidye Pickett

Tidye Pickett training for Olympic hurdles, 1936.

Louise Stokes holding a track meet trophy.

Louise Stokes

Louise Stokes holding a track meet trophy, c.1931.

Alice Coachman Davis, pictured here in 1948.

Alice Coachman Davis

Alice Coachman Davis, pictured here in 1948, was the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

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