James was accurate in race assessment

CNN's Soledad O'Brien recently asked Miami's LeBron James if he believed race played a role in how his decision to join the Heat has been received.

Said James, "I think so at times. It's always, you know, a race factor."


That response has attracted a lot of attention. Attention, in its own right, that reveals James may have been correct.

I think, what James attempted to convey is as an African-American, he sees race playing a role in the perceptions of a great many scenarios. That includes how the performance of the country's first African-American President, Barack Obama, is perceived.

It includes how the mere mention of race in almost any scenario can be viewed as stepping out of bounds. It includes how my opinions are viewed.

Unquestionably, it's dangerous to attempt to assess how an group feels about a topic.

However, I like danger, at times. I'd guess a large portion of African-American agree with James' assessment of the negative reaction to his decision. Personally, there were many things about James' delivery of his decision that I didn't like.

However, deciding to play in Miami never was a problem for me.

Remember the question was did race play a role. There was no percentage attached to how large or small a role that may have been.

It could have been zero percent, one percent or 65 percent. No one knows. Actually, the question was a set-up because there is no true method of measuring the role race may have played.

The speculation here is many African-Americans believe race relations and understanding will affect the emotions in the minds of some white Americans in virtually every scenario.

Let's be real. Even with an African-American President, race relations has not exactly been a U.S. strong point. Many strides have been made over the years, but there is much ground to be covered.

One posture I can never assume to totally know is how it feels to be a white American. That concept also goes in reverse. White Americans also generally are incapable of seeing and living life as an African-American.

That's why conversational exchanges between all races are so important to our nation's growth.

So I'm glad James spoke his mind when asked the question. I wish he'd been capable of expressing his feelings more precisely. I wish he'd have been given more of an opportunity to express those feelings.

Consider though, James will turn just 26 December 3oth. Is he fully equipped to answer such a deep question? I doubt it. I'm 55 and I doubt I'm fully capable of accurately assessing such a broad question.

It's not as if the question was put to Dr. Cornel West. It wasn't asked of Dr. Harry Edwards or USC professor Dr. Todd Boyd, who is considered to be an expert on popular culture.

However, when you accept the name, 'The Chosen One,' and proclaim your desire to become a billionaire, responsibilities can become quite encompassing.