THE RACE OF HER LIFE

My man Uncle Lee put me on to this news, which will be the first and certainly not the last post of its kind, because generally I like to keep it pretty mellow, fresh, funny, etc. But I am a thinker and I like to provoke thought into the minds of the educated and uneducated alike.

So, basically, this young lady, Juashaunna Kelly, a gifted track star in the District of Columbia at Theodore Roosevelt High School, is the center of attention in light of her recent disqualification at a meet due to her modified Muslim wardrobe.
She actually may be only the center of MY attention, which is why I’m writing this.

The parties responsible for her disqualification claim the outfit was against policy (code) and basically was not a standard issued uniform, so on that technicality, she was not allowed to run the race WHICH, could have positively influenced her track career and college selection, as this race was attended by top college officials/recruiters. Keep in mind she had worn the same modified outfit that covers her entire body, in respects to her Muslim faith, during each of the previous seasons. But this year its a problem?

(read below for a detail from the article or click the link for the entire read)

Kelly was wearing the same uniform she has worn for three seasons while running for Theodore Roosevelt’s cross-country and track teams. The custom-made, one-piece blue and orange unitard covers her head, arms, torso and legs. Over the unitard, she wears the same orange and blue T-shirt and shorts as her teammates.

STATS:
√ She is a FEMALE
√ She is obviously ethnic, whether African American or other
√ She is Muslim

Clearly those facts won’t stack in anyones favor whether work related, sports or otherwise.
So, basically my thought is this…
Is this racism? Is this sexist? Is this infringing on her right as a citizen to freely practice her religion? I can’t quite figure out how to look at this.

I’m wondering how long before Al Sharpton comes along to kick up some dust on her behalf, but then I think to myself, will it be in his interest to defend her as an African American or defend her as a Muslim.