The Omaha guide., 1936-11-28
T THE GUN
By Alvin Moses for AMP
What We Mean By
BLACK Mans Burden

room of Iowa university's football
team for an example IN point of
what we are eternally harping up
on as, "The Black Mans Bur-
den"
Coach Solem has all of his squad
varsity and scrub, gathered around
h1n IN awed suspense. He doesn't
keep them waiting very long, nei-
Their does he disappolnt more than
half of them in what he has to say.
Hey, Simmons,.....-stand up! | want
every man in this room to hear
what I've got to say to you. We lost
TO Minnesota by the unbelievable
o of 81 to 0! Can you picture
IN your minds, l mean every last
mothers son of We, what the other
Conference coaches and Alumni
Ass'ns are saying about Coach So
lem of Iowa??? Now as for you
Simmons, you played lousy foot
ball in there against the "Gophers,"
and it looked to me Ike, you pur-
posely laid down there this after
noon. OSimmons in partial rebut
tall. "Why Coach, l never
played harder IN my life, | don't
know what it means to 'lay down"
as you just said before all of my
teammates, | don't think you're be-
ing fair to me......G interruption at
this point, you've said just about
too much Simmons....-.get out of
this room and don't show your face
again on the practice field until
you're ready to publicly apologize
to me before the entire team" Like
the discipllnarian, scholar and
splendid gentleman that he is, the
powerfully built black boy, takes
his leave.
No one will ever know unless
"Ozz1e" chooses to give a special
stry on it, just what took place in
his mind as he stood there The
outstanding player for three years
on Iowa's football team, listening
with ears that refused to believe
themselves-to the cowardly,
yellow-bellied blast of an Official
who knew he possessed the author
ity to take the stand that he elect
ed to. If you're interested in know
ing, what l thought took place in
the brOnzed giants mind, I'll tell
you.
"H | take a sock at this lar and
break his jaw, the news of it will
trave around North America and
%environs, and maybe, ut will affect
the chances of other colored boys
who must follow in my steps. l
know that there IS hardly a single
player under the sound of his voice
who would have taken the unjusti-
fable lacing that he stuck under
me today, but I can't afford to be
hotheaded IN the matter, my entire
college future is in the balance
here. What if he coach Solemn
were to use his influence in forcing
me out of the lowly position l have
here that helps to pay my college
tuitlon?????
What were my brother (also an
Iowa U. suddenly to suffer IN the
subsequent persecution that would
follow my action?????
Would they take my friend
"DHke" Slater's coaching assign
ment from him in reaction to all
of my group and race?
"Get thee behind me satan, you
know the rules of the game stack
ed up against me by a dastardly I'M
written code.-...won't permit of my
bashing Solem right square on the
beezer."
The curtain falls on act one, and
as we go into the anti-climax, Solem
gets his apology, and Ozzie Sim
mons, often referred to as "the en-
tire Iowa team" Is left to reflect on
just what they expect of the Amer
ican Negro at u supposedly bet
ter universities.
IF Solem can explain a So to 0
lacing to the Alumni Assn by sub
jecting a boy whom he knew could
MT afford to strike back in ike man.
ner for a million and one reasons
then he should still be Iowa's foot
ball coach in 1890.
What's hurting a guys feeling
before his fellow-workers compar-
ed to saving ones job? For a few
gainsay the fact that a real job
Coach Solem has a swell one), is
worth fifty of the type politicians
throw IN your face these days.
Oh,P only fauI+ it'll Gaa.L Gil.