On Aug. 7, 1930, two young black men were lynched in Marion, Ind.

A photographer named Lawrence Beitler had a studio across the street from the lynching tree. He came out and snapped what became an iconic photo, which he made into a postcard and sold. It shows Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith hanging dead and their executioners, faces clearly visible, milling about as if at a picnic. Though authorities possessed this damning photographic evidence, they never arrested anyone for the crime. It was officially attributed to “persons unknown.”

While I support the opinion expressed in the Lariat’s recent editorial “Talent should yield an NFL roster spot,” on gay NFL draft prospect Michael Sam that ran on Feb. 19, the language used by the editors needs to change.

While the editorial board does not condone his lifestyle, we support Sam’s right to play in the NFL, and this situation pertains to his right to work, not the morality of his lifestyle.
It is time for the NFL to look beyond sexual orientation in its players.

Discrimination is far from eradicated from our society, and it seems like each newsworthy incident is a reminder of just how much more work our society has yet to do.

Gary James, a restaurant owner in Enid, Okla., serves as a painful example of a person that refuses to treat others with respect.

Saturday night is full of debauchery — the fake ID gets her drinks at the restaurant. The drinks get the crude words flowing with his friends. His drunken alter-ego gives him confidence to hit on the girl at the bar and take her home. They wake up with a hangover, maybe even still drunk, but two hours later, they are on the fifth row of the Sunday service.

Exit mobile version