What Had Happened Was

What Had Happened Was: 9/1/16

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    J.J. Redick #4 of the Los Angeles Clippers sits on the bench as time winds down in the fourth quarter of Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center on April 25, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won the game 98-84. Steve Dykes/Getty Images
    By Ryan Cortes Rhiannon Walker

    GAME. BLOUSES.

    If you happen to be unfamiliar with Mike Weber Jr., you should know that he’s a freshman running back on a loaded Ohio State University football team. On Wednesday, Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford called Weber’s parents to deliver the good news: Their son had been named the starter.

    https://twitter.com/tburns206/status/771133310273716227

    BLESSINGS!

    Nike surprised tennis great Serena Williams with an amazing commercial called Unlimited Greatness, with different quotes from people who have been inspired by her.

    SOCIAL STATUS

    What was yours, though? How embarrassing?

    FOR THE CULTURE

     

    A teen who was arrested earlier this year for being a fake doctor has been arrested again.

    BuzzFeed found the military veteran who started #VeteransForKaepernick. Here’s what inspired the hashtag.

    The 101-year story of how the National Museum of African American History and Culture came to be.

    Why does Wal-Mart get its worst Yelp reviews in black and Latino neighborhoods?

    It’s 2016 and this is what people of color in Harrison, Arkansas, are forced to see on a daily basis.

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. MEET THE NEW BROTHER

    2. MAYBE HE TOOK SOMETHING?

     

    3. PRESENTED WITHOUT COMMENT

    #ICYMI

    Our friend J.A. Adande wrote about a poignant portrait of American excellence, sprinkled with #BlackGirlMagic — how one photo of Olympic hurdlers Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin celebrating at the Summer Olympics takes an even deeper meaning post-Colin Kaepernick:

    It serves as a rebuttal, not directly to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s stance on the national anthem but rather to the notion that there are only singular approaches to progress. Two extremes can exist, both sides can be right. Rollins, Ali and Castlin weren’t ignorant of the issues that preclude Kaepernick from standing at attention for the flag. They chose to celebrate it anyway. To be fully aware of all the country’s shortcomings and unfulfilled promises and still embrace the flag requires an extra amount of love. It deserves bonus patriot points. To see three African-American women so delighted to represent this country isn’t just a snapshot, it’s a lesson. It teaches us the power of forgiveness. It gives us hope. It reminds us that while America is the country that didn’t acknowledge the full humanity of black people in its Constitution and denied women the right to vote until 1920, it’s also the country that sent Dr. Mae Jemison into space and made Michelle Obama the first lady of the United States. The great promise of America is that the potential for greatness for every member of this society exists. In the moment of this picture, it’s realized.

    PICTURE PERFECT

     

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    This Story Tagged: What Had Happened Was Serena Williams