by darrell.holmes

Many people may remember the case of Marcus Dixon from several years back. If not, here goes…

In 2003, Marcus Dixon was an 18-year-old HS senior who had consensual sex with a 15 year old schoolmate. After conflicting testimonies between the alleged victim and Marcus Dixon, Dixon was found not guilty of rape, battery, assault, and false imprisonment. However, he was found guilty of aggravated child molestation and statutory rape. Due to a loopy law in the state of Georgia at the time, Marcus Dixon received a mandatory 10-year prison sentence even though he had no criminal history. Dixon was also a 3.96GPA football star with a scholarship offer to Vanderbilt University at the time of his arrest. After Dixon’s sentence was announced, public uproar commenced from groups like the Children’s Defense Fund to the jurors in his case. Some of them complained that they weren’t aware of the mandatory statutory sentence nor did they expect the judge would enforce such a sentence in this case.

Rap artist MURS and producer Danger Mouse(half of the group Gnarls Barkley) even recorded a track in honor of Dixon and his case. After roughly one year in prison, Dixon’s case was overturned in Georgia’s Supreme Court and I would like to think that reactions from the media, the public, Murs, and Danger Mouse along with blogs like this one all contributed to Marcus being set free short of his full term. With his Vanderbilt schollie being rescinded Marcus was able to attend Hampton University on another football scholarship.

On April 27th Marcus signed a rookie free-agent contract for 3 years with the Dallas Cowboys worth $1.1M dollars. The Cowboys have been in the spotlight along with a handful of other teams over the past few years for signing players with alleged discipline concerns. The Cowboys pride themselves on being separate from the pack for their Player Development Program. Former player Calvin Hill heads up that program and has been spotlighted for his work and dedication to helping all incoming rookies and free agents acclimate to playing in the NFL. Here’s to wishing Marcus the best as he pursues his dream.

Just this past week a teen in Sugarland, TX decided to sue Texas-Austin because she was not accepted for admission into the University. Problem is she is suing based on racial discrimination…oh, yeah she also happens to be Caucasian.

If this case sounds like deja vu then that’s because it has happened before. In 1996, Cheryl Hopwood was the first person to win a lawsuit against an institution of higher learning based on race since Cal v. Bakke in 1978. The resulting aftermath of that lawsuit meant that race-based admissions and scholarships were no longer allowed in Texas. I remember that lawsuit well because one of my scholarships was race-based along with several friends of mine. I remember the Hopwood case spurring the exodus of minority students from Texas to Oklahoma (see OU’s football record from 1997-present). Later Grutter v. Bollinger reversed the Hopwood Decision.

I’m actually not 100% for race-based exceptions. I think in some instances they are used with too much liberty and without boundaries or criteria like the ones sometimes used in corporations. Policies such as these have hearts the right place but they are not managed or policed properly. The core difference with race-based admissions in colleges and universities versus the corporate sector lies with the schools themselves. A corporation’s ability to recruit and secure a diverse talent pool is only as good as the organization itself. Many corporations fall well short of the mark and most have only recently begin to realize that only the healthiest, most successful corporations have a racially diverse structure from the top down. For a university it has to be a core competency. Universities need a diverse student body to further their research initiatives as well as to attract more prospective students. Public universities need to maintain a diverse student body, but those students also must be able to maintain the rigors of college life. It’s a very thin tightrope for universities; diversity, challenging curricula, financial well-being, and maintaining a respectable dropout rate.
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Dallas is making the news by leading the country in the number of exonerated prisoners freed due to new methods in DNA testing. The latest Charles Allen Chatman, was released after serving almost 27 years in prison for a rape crime he didn’t commit. He is one of fifteen former convicts from Dallas County to be freed based on DNA testing since 2001. District Attorney Craig Watkins has made this his priority named the “Innocence Project”.

I was listening to a radio interview with Watkins and I was impressed with his plan to make the system better. He has received a lot of criticism for is actions, but has stated his job is to seek justice for the people. If it means going back to verify the innocence of a few convicted prisoners, then he believes it is necessary. He said the systems has flaws and hopes to fix as much of it as he can.

Chatman has lost 27 years of his life and is now 47 years old. He has a lot to catch up on and I hope he gets the help he needs to reenter society.

Check out the latest on a ruling by the Supreme Court limiting the use of race when assigning kids to schools in Seattle and Kentucky. This is interesting because I’m sure it’s the first step in getting rid of affirmative action. If affirmative action shouldn’t apply to kids getting into school, then why should it for adults wanting to get into the business world? I’ll be honest with you. I have mixed feelings about affirmative action. I believe in my people and feel we are some of the smartest and most intelligent people in the world. I hate to hear people say affirmative action replaces qualified people with unqualified minorities. But at the same time, we aren’t that far off from the years of segregation so it is still a bias that affects us.

My pre-collegiate education was in majority black schools and I’ve talked to friends of mine who’ve graduated from majority white schools. Trust me when I tell you there’s a difference. It’s not that the kids there are smarter, they just have more access to information and funding. They also have a different way of thinking, which is something I’m learning even today (I’ll get into that later).

While we try to remain politically correct and keep everything”fair” for all, we also have to admit race does matter. When you meet someone, the first thing you notice is their race. Let’s be honest with each other. If two people are applying for a job with equal credentials, subconsciously we’re going to choose the person we feel we’ll more comfortable with. And in most cases, it’ll be based on race. I know first hand the Good Ol’ Boy Network is alive and kickin’ and a lot of times who you know makes a big difference.

High Court Limits Use of Race in School Assignment

I received this article a couple of days ago from Darrell who writes the music reviews for theojohnson.net (thanks bro). After reading it, I had to take a little time to calm down and regain my thoughts. Shaquanda Cotton, a 15-year-old girl in Paris, Texas was sentenced to seven years to prison for allegedly pushing a teacher. She’s been in prison a year and will not be out until she is 21.

To some in Paris, sinister past is back (Full Article)

This is not about getting special treatment for someone of color. This is not about a little girl getting in trouble and not wanting to take responsibility for her actions. This is about an unfair justice system, in a small Texas community, that sentenced a 14 year old girl to prison for pushing. All I want for Shaquanda is for her to be out of prison and offered a fair trial. Seven years in prison for pushing is ridiculous. Especially when that same judge sentenced a 14-year old white girl convicted of arson to probation. Even as a sit here and type this up, I’m still in disbelief over what happened. On 97.9 a local Dallas radio station, they were asking everyone to call the Governor’s Office to express your disgust in the matter. I’ve provided the information below for you to call.

Governor’s Office Phone: (512) 463-1782
Governor’s Main Switchboard: (512) 463-2000
Governor’s Website: http://www.governor.state.tx.us
Contact the Governor: http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact
[office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST]

I called and was forwarded a couple of times, but it took less than five minutes for me to get someone. All you do is say “I am calling to express my concern/disgust with the Shaquanda Cotton incident in Paris, Texas”. They will know exactly what you are talking about. The operator is keeping a tally of how many people are calling. Let’s clog those phone lines with calls!

97.9 was also able to get her mom on the phone. She told them the correctional facility was giving her medicine for depression. According to her mom, the medicine made her worse and led to her attempting suicide. On Tuesday morning, 97.9 will be going to Paris, Texas to broadcast live and have a peaceful, organized demonstration. They’re in need of church buses to transport people to Paris from Dallas for the protest. Big ups to Rickey Smiley and the Morning Team.

Shaquanda needs your support. If you would like to send her a letter or card to lift her spirit, mail it to:

Shaquanda Cotton - 1125308
Ron Jackson Correctional Complex
Unit 2 Dorm 4
P.O. Box 872
Brownwood, TX 76804

If you are a blogger or podcaster, I ask that you mention this article on your site. Racism is still alive and it’s going to take everyone as a collective unit to show them we won’t stand for it. If you do not live in Texas, I still urge you to call. Let the officials in Texas know where you live and tell them you are upset over what’s happened. There’s stuff like this happening all over the country and it’s time to expose it and put an end to it. I’ll keep you all up to date on what transpires.

Leave comments or call the voicemail hotline. I want to know what you think. I’ll also be talking about this on my podcast scheduled for this coming Sunday.

Update: She has a blog at http://freeshaquandacotton.blogspot.com where you can show your support.