With the Donald Sterling situation, Donald Sterling Racist Comments, I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” but perhaps not from a perspective you may be thinking. In a discussion with a friend who said that “Sterling is an idiot but so what, the players don’t play for him anyway”, I reminded my friend that although it is true that players don’t ultimately play for Donald Sterling, they DO play for each other, their families, their loved ones, and fans.  If this is true, let’s also consider playing the game of life for all of mankind- for our future grand children and their children.  After all, the game of LIFE- its history and legacy- are more important than a bunch of millionaires trying to throw a round ball into a cylinder hole.  Did not the folks who laid out a path less crooked deal with some difficulty? As I said to my friend, maybe just maybe, we all have an opportunity to make our future generations’ road smoother.  Maybe because of the feelings we get when we hear the racist comments of a crazy 80 year old man whose ignorance is beyond absurd, we can allow his words be our voice or we can take action as one people to rid our society of the Donald Sterling’s.  As I told my friend it was the action of all people, Black, white and brown who together forced the changes that allow the two of us, and people of all color, race and religion to eat together, marry who they love and it will take all of us to continue making the changes that still need to be made!  As I end with the quote from Dr. King it is true what he said, the silence by “good people” is appalling.

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.  -Martin Luther King, Jr.