Apparently, Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox thinks being in an interracial marriage gives him a free pass to insult minorities to their faces.
Season-ticket holder Clarenton Crawford told Deadspin about Wilcox's comments at a fan-front office meet-up. Wilcox, a white man married to a black woman, alluded to his sacred union to explain why he was capable of dealing with cantankerous fans who question the team's decisions. (Note: This is just one reason why these sort of meet-ups are typically bad ideas for front-office members).
"I know you guys may be angry with me, but I’m used to it because I have a black wife and three mixed kids, so I’m used to people being angry and argumentative,” Wilcox said, according to Crawford.
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Wilcox's words reinforce the negative stereotype of the "angry black woman," which dehumanizes and inaccurately characterizes a demographic which is as dynamic as any. It's a harmful characterization that has impacted how black women are portrayed in art and treated in the professional world. The implications of views like these, especially when held by those in power, are far-reaching.
It's another sad chapter in the ongoing saga of race relations among the Hawks' brass and their fanbase, most of which has its roots in and around metro Atlanta area, which has one of the nation's largest black populations.
In 2014, former Hawks GM Danny Ferry made derogatory comments about African-born NBA standout Luol Deng. An investigation into those comments produced similar evidence against former Hawks owner Bruce Levenson, who once said, "The black crowd scared away the whites," and added, "There are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a significant season ticket base" in an email in 2012. The revelation of those comments ultimately led to him selling the team. (Note: Nielsen estimated African-Americans' purchasing power would reach $1.3 trillion this year. That's more than enough to sustain the Hawks' profitability.)
What's even more ridiculous than Wilcox's initial comment, given his position with the team and its history, are the ones he chose to use in apology.
“At an early December chalk talk, I made a self-deprecating comment at my own expense regarding my family, which is multi-racial," Wilcox said. "This joke offended Mr. (Clarenton) Crawford and his wife and for that, I apologize.”
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If you can't see the problems with what he said, I'll lay them out for you:
1. It's not "self-deprecating."
He didn't express any disapproval of himself. Instead, amid a line of questioning he was likely growing more and more bothered with as it persisted, he puffed himself up at the expense of his wife and children.
2. He sees black women as particularly problematic.
In Wilcox's mind, if he can bear with one black woman, his wife, when she's upset, then he can handle anyone's angst. The way he sees it, black women are the epitome of difficulty.
3. He didn't express remorse.
He's not sorry he said something so offensive. He's only sorry the fan who called him out on it was offended. There's a huge difference between the two.
The Hawks only addressed the situation after Crawford, who was extemely adamant and expressed his willingness to become an activist concerning the matter, urged them to do so.
Nzinga Shaw, a black woman hired as the Hawks' chief diversity and inclusion officer last March, has been counseling Wilcox. Boy, does she have her work cut out for her.