Member-only story
Hey Mister Newspaper: My Delta Wake-Up Call
What Scottie Pippen and a coach taught me about race
I was leaning against the wall at the end of the basketball court, camera and notepad in hand. These gyms in these small towns are small. There’s only a few feet between the wall and the court.
I watched the teams warm up, feeling nervous as I entered a new world. I was from the mountains in East Tennessee where there are few black people. Here I was one of the few white people. Because I was from the newspaper they were polite, but didn’t say much.
I was taking in all the sights and sounds of the dimly lit rickety gym that was quickly filling. The sounds, smells, and visuals were overwhelming.
A voice suddenly broke through the din and haze.
The wake-up call
“Hey Mister Newspaper, take my picture,?” a young Scottie Pippen said.
I looked at him and smiled. We made eye contact and he grinned at me. We both laughed.
At that time he was barely a starter on his basketball team. Just a good-natured happy kid interacting with his world. It was unusual for a newspaper reporter to be there, and he was the one brave enough to interact.
