Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer Do we need Black History Month? You bet we do. We need it for the same reason we need affirmative action. And what is that reason? Our ignorance. We need social institutions that will help us all learn our way out of centuries of prejudice and misinformation that still are too much with us. John Rocker, relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, has been suspended and required to undergo psychiatric counseling for publicly uttering his despicable remarks about, among other things, non- whites populating New York. Is he just a fringie? I don’t think so; I think uncounted masses silently share his views. An otherwise decent friend of mine refused to root for any football team having a black quarterback. … Read entire article »