I subscribe to the magazine Sports Illustrated, and this week when I opened it up, I was a little surprised to see a story about Curtis Malone. Being from the D.C. area, and knowing a number of people connected to his DC Assault AAU program, including several kids who played on his teams, I was not sure how this type of coverage would look from an outsiders perspective. While it is an interesting piece, and is very similar to many other articles I've read in Sports Illustrated on youth coaches and some of the illegal activities they have pulled off, I think this is one that can hurt the image of African-Americans, especially those from Washington, D.C.
For many outside of the area, the assumption that everyone's involved in the drug game, or gang violence, or other numerous illegal activities, is an assumption made far too often. It's stories like this that the casual reader sees and thinks See, I knew it; that place has always had a drug problem, and it starts right at the top. Malone was a revered local figure, and many couldn't believe it when the allegations against him came out. However, I think it sends a strong message that no matter how good you are doing in life, things can always go wrong. It hurts knowing that some people who read the article came out of it with less respect for African-Americans, especially those involved in basketball, even though that was not the point of the article. Unfortunately, this means that some people still cannot see the individual, and will work to see the proof in stereotypes whenever they get the chance.
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