As most of you know, Barry Bonds is close to passing Babe Ruth on the career homeruns list. Consequently, like Hank Aaron before him, Bonds is receiving an unreasonable amount of criticism and abuse from the media, fans and other players.  Although I consider Bonds to be among the most insufferably obnoxious players in the history of professional sports, I also consider him to be the greatest player of all time. For this reason, I wrote a piece in defense of him as part of my monthly column for PopMatters Magazine. It can be accessed at:

http://www.popmatters.com/columns/hill/060424.shtml

Anyone in or near New York City should come to the Schomburg this evening for the “Hip-Hop Revolution?” panel featuring Cornel West, Imani Perry, Greg Tate, Akiba Solomon, Carlito Rodriguez, and some negro named Marc Lamont Hill. I’m expecting it to be lively and informative.

After weeks of off-the-record comments and interviews, Kim Roberts, the second dancer in the Duke University rape scandal, provided her first public interview. Unfortunately, her comments did little to change the opinions of the growing number of doubters and left many of the accuser’s supporters desperate for the expected “secret weapon” of District Attorney Nifong.

“I was not in the bathroom when it happened, so I can’t say a rape occurred – and I never will,” she told reporters. Nevertheless, she continued, “In all honesty, I think they’re guilty. And I can’t say which ones are guilty … but somebody did something besides underage drinking. That’s my honest-to-God impression.”

Although Roberts attempted to offer support for her friend and colleague, her comments also created more space for the offensive-minded defense attorneys to undermine the accuser’s claims. For example, Roberts admits that she “had doubts” about the rape claim and only became convinced after seeing the defense attorneys’ tactics, which made her “wonder about their character.”

Unfortunately, similar character questions are now being levied against Roberts. Eight days after the party, Roberts was arrested for a parole violation. Last Monday, the same day the sealed indictment against the two Duke players emerged, Roberts received a special favor from Nifong. Apparently, she no longer needed to pay the 15 percent bonding fee. This, according to defense attorneys, suggests that her change in sentiment might be driven by self interest as opposed to justice.

In addition to her alleged shift in testimony –a claim that is likely overstated by the defense– Roberts’ has been placed on the defensive because of her communication with a public relations firm. In the interview, Roberts admitted that she sent the following e-mail to 5W Public Relations:

I’ve found myself in the center of one of the biggest stories in the country. I’m worried about letting this opportunity pass me by without making the best of it and was wondering if you had any advice as to how to spin this to my advantage.

To be sure, Roberts will unwittingly accommodate the defense team’s strategy of attacking the character of both women. It is important, however, to examine the recent developments both critically and fairly:

• Roberts’ (alleged) initial doubt should not undermine the accuser’s claims since she admittedly was not in the bathroom where the rape allegedly occurred.

• Her decision to negotiate with the criminal justice system is a standard practice in today’s legal environment. (Note: It’s interesting how people are suddenly annoyed at her decision to “snitch,” or negotiate criminal liability for information. Perhaps these same people will now be able to acknowledge the legitimacy and complexity of hip-hop’s “Stop Snitching” movement.) Besides, why is so much attention being paid to her criminal record and so little being paid to the criminal pasts of the alleged rapists?

• According to District of Columbia Superior Court records, Finnerty and two companions confronted a man outside the Georgetown Inn hotel and verbally abused him. When the man asked him to stop calling him gay and tried to walk away, the threesome attacked him. Finnerty did not enter a plea in the case and was ordered to perform 25 hours of community service in Washington, after which the charges will be dropped. Perhaps the dancers would have less imposing criminal records if they had the resources, power, and privilege to make their cases “go away.”

• Finally, Roberts’ decision to contact a public relations firm is quite prudent. While the move certainly could be evidence of opportunism, it is definitely a wise preemptive strike against the inevitable flurry of character assassinations that will accompany the upcoming trial.

If you have a sec, check out CNN’S “On the Story”, where I’ll be
commenting on the Duke rape case. I’m not sure how much they’ll air
but I think it was extremely interesting. The show airs
Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 1pm.

Last night, I gave an invited lecture at Oberlin College on Black Masculinity in the new millenium. I was impressed by the number of students who came out to discuss issues such as the Down Low, queer identity in hip-hop, prison masculinities, and the sexual politics of the Black church.

The thing that impressed me the most about the students was their willingness to ask tough questions, not only of me but themselves. For example, one young woman raised her hand and said “I believe in my heart that we should support gay people but I don’t feel as if the church sanctions by position.” Another extremely brave brother asked “How can I get over my homophobia and begin to embrace gay brothers without fearing their sexuality?”

In a moment where the Down Low phenomenon (hoax?) encourages Black women to run from Black men, and various forms of vicious homophobia continue to pervade our society, I was enlightened and motivated by the students’ desire to do something different and better.

Furthermore, I was reminded that our quest for a better world has not been completely undermined by insecurity, fear, and hate.