[JRutledge]

Woodee,

I think you have to understand that coaches bring their biases on the court. No matter what color they are. So if you are dealing with white coaches that have very little interaction with officials like us, then that can be problematic if that coach has feelings about authoritiy figures that are African-American. It is the nature of the beast. And in my circles often talked about. I happen to have started my career in mostly rurual communities, where in many cases I was the only African-American in the gym. So I had to deal with some things that not many had to. I even had an incident where a Principal was trying to get me off a game because he did not like the game I called a week before. And he only signaled me out, and left my white partner out of it. Considering the community he came from and the school involved, that was not a shock what the motivation was. But having said all that, just because we have come are separated from Jim Crow laws or the 60s, does not mean all is well in this country when it comes to race. The only thing has chanced is that it is not PC to openly express certain points of view, but the way people are treated are not that different. And yes it affects Black officials when we try to officiate games with coaches that are not of color. At least it does with the guys I officiate with.

Peace