Have we really come that far?

If you were alive during the 1980s then you know the Super Bowl Shuffle.  Thanks to the vibrant personalities of the 1986 Chicago Bears, football players like Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon and the infamous William “The Refrigerator” Parry became household names.

It was an exciting time in Chicago.  People were all decked out in Bears’ fan wear and the Super Bowl shuffle would have gone viral if there was internet at the time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-U8E-NiPlw&disable_polymer=true

My life was pretty exciting too.  I was a junior in high school and the first female football manager at Luther North High School, a private and small high school on the Northwest Side of the city.  I had my own jersey (number 62) and was surrounded by fun and crazy friends. I loved being on the freshly cut field timing each player as he ran around the track.

I also loved the smell of my little office(which happened to be next to the horrendously gross locker room) where I fixed equipment, did the paperwork for our next away game, and most importantly chilled out with the team.

The Luther North Wildcats were on a roll.  We were winning game after game – we were as unstoppable as the Chicago Bears.  We even had our own version of “The Refrigerator” In a school of 98% white kids, Billy’s dark black skin stood ou

 

As high schoolers, there are certain events that hold high importance.  As adults, we now see that those events, while fun, were not as earth-shattering as we once thought.    One of those events, which still happen today, was the Homecoming Dance. I mean, think about all that goes into a school dance. 

In priority format:

1. You need an amazing date
2. You need a great group of friends to go with
3. You need a killer dress
4. You need a happening after-party.

I was planning on making my junior year homecoming one of the best!  I had already had an incredible group of friends. All mostly football players and their girlfriends, we were ready to celebrate Chicago style!  I just needed a date. Then it happened….it’s all about the ask. How you get asked to a dance is so important. It’s also a lot of pressure on the person doing the asking.   The “proposal” has to be creative, fun, and memorable.

On a crisp fall day in October, I walked down the ramp to the football manager’s office to get ready for our Friday night game.  I had so much to do! Get the water bottles ready, fix a few helmets and shoulder pads, get the roster to the game announcer. It was a typical fridged night in Chicago and everyone was freezing.  The homecoming game was three weeks away and girls were getting asked to the dance practically every day. 

 

I wasn’t nervous about getting asked.  If I didn’t have a date – it was no big deal.  At least that’s what I kept telling myself. I pushed the thoughts of the dance out of my head as I ran to welcome the visiting team.  Coach Daley informed me that warmups would start in 10 minutes and I needed to gather the team on the field. Shouting into the locker room with my loud energetic voice, I gave the boys the warning….”10 minutes until warm-ups.  Let’s go!”

Soon the team started lining up on the field.  Both teams were stretching and getting ready. Cheerleaders were rehearsing their halftime show and I was gathering the water, clipboards, and my tools.  WIth my arms loaded, I followed the team to the field.  

The problem was that when I got to the field – the team wasn’t warming up – they were standing in a big huddle with Coach Daily.  Unsure of what was going on, I slowly creep over to the center of the field. Suddenly, Billy “The Refrigerator” popped out of the huddle with a sign….”Katie…go to the dance with me…and this Frig will keep you fresh.”  Ok…cheesy but so sweet.

I was so excited.  Billy would be the perfect date.  We have so much fun together. We talked all night about the plans we would make for the dance.  I was so excited and honored. Until, I got home.

I ran into the house and quickly announced that I had a homecoming date.  My mom, smiling and anxious, couldn’t wait to hear who asked me.  

“I am going with Billy,” I proclaimed.

“Oh” came the hesitant response 

“It will be perfect.  We have a huge group of friends going and Billy and I have so much fun together.  I couldn’t ask for a better date.” I was beaming

“Well, good.  I will talk to your father tomorrow.”

My dad, being a fundamental Evangelical Free Pastor, was always busy and always opinionated.  But I never expected him to come home after talking to my mom and tell me that I had to tell Billy NO!

What?  Wait? I had to tell Billy that I couldn’t go to the dance with him?  Why? I was so confused and hurt. The reasoning….Billy was an African American.  According to my dad, “Although we aren’t a racist family your grandparents still hold on to the old belief that you should date within your own race.  Just think about it Katie, we won’t be able to show any pictures of you and your date. You know your grandparents always come over before a dance – they simply won’t understand.  In fact, our entire congregation will have a problem with it. I am sorry, but you simply have to say NO.”

WHAT??  Simply? There was nothing simple about this.    I was furious and embarrassed for my family. How was I going to tell Billy that my parents said no because of his race?  How was I going to face my friends at school? My coach? Everyone was there when he asked me. Everyone was expecting us to go together.  

I cried myself to sleep that night.   I thought this racism crap was done. I thought we, as a society, had come so far.  Apparently – not my family.

The next morning, I knew I was g

oing to have to talk to Billy.  I had no choice. Or did I? I understood that as a teenager, I had to comply with my parent’s wishes – but I didn’t have to lose my values in the process.  I would tell Billy the truth – but I also would not go to the dance with anyone else. I

would go stag – all by myself – and meet him at the dance. Yes, I was a rebel.  Yes, I wanted to keep the peace in my household. Yes, I went to the dance with Billy and my parents didn’t know.

Now, as I soon turn 50, I think back on tha

t defining moment. Billy?  He took it just fine. He said it didn’t surprise him. He has seen racism on almost a daily basis.  This was nothing new. He educated me on how things really haven’t changed that much. In fact, at my almost all-white high school, racism permeated the 

hallways.  I was just too nieve and too optimistic to see what was going on.

It took me about five years to finally tell my parents the truth.  I did obey them…in my own way. But, it was more important to me that I stood up for what was right.  

That unforgettable night in my high school gymnasium, Billy and I mimicked the moves to the Super Bowl Shuffle along with our close friends.  As the lyrics in the song say, Billy and I were…

Shufflin’ on down, doin’ it for you
We’re so bad we know we’re good
Blowin’ your mind like we knew we would
You know we’re just struttin’ for fun
Struttin’ our stuff for everyone
We’re not here to start no trouble
We’re just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle
We are the Bears’ shufflin’ crew
Shufflin’ on down, doin’ it for you
We’re so bad we know we’re good
Blowin’ your mind like we knew we would
You know we’re just struttin’ for fun
Struttin’ our stuff for everyone
We’re not here to start no trouble
We’re just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle

Racism may never disappear – but how we respond to it can help us win our own Super Bowl Champions.