Nunnie on the Sideline
By Nunnie Robinson, WG Sports Editor
The history of Mt. Hermon AME Church in Fort Lauderdale and its relationship with the NAACP is well documented. During the Jim Crow era, when danger was ever-present, Mt. Hermon audaciously opened its doors to the NAACP for the explicit purpose of organizing resistance against racism.
Protest actually characterized the genesis of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. When white Methodist leaders refused to allow Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others to pray at the altar, they refused to submit to such treachery and hypocrisy. Instead, they left and organized the African Methodist Episcopal denomination in Philadelphia.
Well, that tradition continues.
During the protests that followed the tragic death of George Floyd, Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, D.C., under the astute leadership of Rev. William H. Lamar IV, erected an image of George Floyd in front of the church to honor his memory. The hate group known as the Proud Boys subsequently desecrated and destroyed the image, also damaging part of the church sanctuary.
Church leadership sued the group and won a $3 million judgment, which the Proud Boys refused to pay. In the true spirit of the relentless fervor embodied by Richard Allen, the judge awarded the church ownership of the group’s trademark rights, including its name. The Proud Boys will pay one way or another.
Just last evening, Mt. Hermon hosted a town hall in conjunction with the Florida Voter Mobilization Project and Faith in Florida to inform and educate Broward County residents about the importance of what is arguably the most consequential election of our lifetime.
Politics before sports!
America is our country, built largely on the backs of our enslaved ancestors. History provides ample, documented evidence of our ancestors’ loyalty and dedication to the ideals of democracy, the Constitution, and the principles articulated in its Preamble.
I implore you, as Americans, to exercise your right to vote—and to bring others with you. Our future depends on it.