Ma lalo o kahi pali mālie o ke one me ke kala o ke kō ʻulaʻula, ua hauʻoli kā mākou kaikamahine liʻiliʻi i ka ʻāhu o ka moana ma lalo o kahi uhi o ka lani uliuli. He 25 iwilei koʻu mamao, hoʻomoana au ma lalo o kahi malu ʻalani nui. ʻOi aku ka mamao o kona makuahine kiaʻi mau, ma kēlā ʻaoʻao o ke alanui o ka hale. ʻO kā mākou kula kamaliʻi, ʻo ia wale nō ma ka lihi o ke kai. A ua palekana mākou. Hiki iā ia ke ʻauʻau. Ua hoʻomaka ʻo ia e aʻo i kona wā kamaliʻi ma ka loko YMCA hoʻokahi kahi i loaʻa iaʻu kaʻu palapala mālama ola i koʻu wā ʻōpio. Ke hoʻomau nei ʻo ia i nā haʻawina ma laila, a ma ke Kulanui o Maryland. A paʻipaʻi ʻo ia no ka leʻaleʻa, hoʻomaʻamaʻa hoʻomaʻamaʻa — nā lima kīkoʻo, lima lima, poʻo i lalo — ma kahi hui ʻauʻau i hui pū ai mākou ma ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Maryland, ʻoiai kaʻu kūʻē mua. Ua hānau ʻia au ma Wakinekona, DC, a hānai ʻia ma Petworth lāua ʻo Chillum. No Lagos kona makuahine a hānai ʻia ma Hague. ʻAʻole ʻike ʻo Māmā i ka moʻolelo o nā loko ʻauʻau lehulehu no ka poʻe ʻeleʻele ma kēia ʻāina, ka makaʻu lāhui i laha e hana i nā hui ʻauʻau keʻokeʻo keʻokeʻo āpau, e like me ka mea i loaʻa iā mākou e hui ai, oiai e maloʻo ana. ʻO nā loko iʻa ma nā kaiāulu o ke kūlanakauhale i holo ai nā kamaʻāina keʻokeʻo i ka wā e kahe ana ka poʻe ʻeleʻele. mai kēia ʻāina e lanakila i ka mekala ʻauʻau 'Olumepika hoʻokahi—gula, ma ia manawa—ua ʻike hou mākou a pau i ka wā kahiko e hoʻohauʻoli nei i ka poʻe ʻeleʻele—a me ka hauʻoli.
I koʻu hoʻopuka ʻana i kēia manawa i ka pō Pōʻalima: "Inā ʻike ʻoe i ke ʻano o Jim Crow i metastasized i loko o nā loko o ʻAmelika, ʻike ʻoe i ke koʻikoʻi o ka mekala gula a Simone Manuel ʻo Rio 2016 ʻeleʻele mōʻaukala." Aia kekahi kumu i ʻike ʻia e nā Centers for Disease Control i ka makahiki 2014, ʻo nā keiki ʻeleʻele ma waena o nā makahiki o kā mākou kaikamahine, 5, a me Manuel, i piha i ka 20 ma mua o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o nā pāʻani ʻo Rio, ua make i loko o nā loko ʻauʻau ma kahi o 5 mau manawa. ʻo nā keiki keʻokeʻo a me nā ʻōpio. Aia kekahi kumu a mākou e lohe ai i kēlā me kēia manawa o nā moʻolelo pōʻino e like me ka mea i hoʻoluliluli iā Shreveport, Louisiana, i kekahi mau makahiki i hala aku nei, i ka wā i make ai ʻeono mau ʻōpio ʻeleʻele i loko o kahi muliwai e hoʻāʻo nei e hoʻopakele i kekahi i paheʻe i loko o ka wai. Aia kekahi kumu no ka 70 pakeneka o nā ʻōpio ʻeleʻele, e like me ka poʻe i make ma Shreveport, a ʻaʻole hiki i ka 60 pakeneka o nā ʻōpio Hispanic ke ʻauʻau. Akā ʻaʻole ia ma muli o kekahi maʻi genetic, e like me ka manaʻo o kekahi. Ma muli o ka mana'o ho'okae 'ole, 'o Jim Crow, a me kona mau koena. Ua pa'a ia i ka na'aupō loa e hiki ai i ka melanin mai ko mākou 'ili ke holoi, ho'ohaumia i ka wai, a ho'opilikia i nā ke'oke'o kokoke. Hoʻopili ʻia ia i ka moʻolelo o kēia ʻāina i ka hysteria moe kolohe, kahi makaʻu kumu ʻole o ka hoʻokomo ʻana i nā wahine keʻokeʻo ʻaʻahu ʻaʻahu i kahi kokoke loa a pili pū me nā kāne ʻeleʻele i manaʻo ʻia he kolohe maoli, ʻoiai inā pili i nā wahine keʻokeʻo.
Hiki ke lohe ʻia ma ka leo hoʻōho a ka mea hoʻokaʻawale ʻo Senatoa Strom Thurmond o South Carolina i ka makahiki 1948: “Makemake au e haʻi aku iā ʻoukou, e nā lede a me nā keonimana, ʻaʻole lawa nā pūʻali koa e koi aku i ka poʻe hema e wāwahi i ka hoʻokaʻawale ʻana a ʻae i ka heihei nigger i loko o ko mākou mau hale kiʻiʻoniʻoni i loko o ko mākou mau loko ʻauʻau i loko o ko mākou mau home a i loko o kā mākou mau hale pule. Hoʻonani ka inoa o Thurmond i ke Kulanui o South Carolina Wellness and Fitness Center, no nā haumāna āpau, kumu, a me nā limahana. Hiki ke ʻike ʻia i loko o ke kiʻi kaulana i waena o nā makahiki 1960 o kahi luna motel ma Florida e hoʻoheheʻe ana i ka waika i loko o ka loko o ka waiwai i ka wā i hoʻohana pono ai ka poʻe ʻeleʻele i nā kānāwai hoʻokipa lehulehu. Me ke kau ʻana o nā kānāwai kīwila i nā makahiki 1960, ua pani ʻia nā loko o ka lehulehu ma ka Hema ma mua o ka hoʻohui ʻana. Ua hoʻokahe ʻia nā loko wai aupuni ma ka ʻĀkau i ke kālā a ke aupuni i mālama maikaʻi ʻia. No ka laʻana, ʻo Banneker Pool ma Georgia Avenue ma kēlā ʻaoʻao o Howard University ʻaʻole i maikaʻi loa i koʻu wā e ulu ana a me ka hoʻohana ʻana ia mea e like me ka hana ʻana o ke kaiāulu a puni i ka gentrification a haʻalele i nā kamaʻāina ʻeleʻele lōʻihi, ʻo ia hoʻi ma ke kaiāulu o koʻu makuakāne ʻo LeDroit Park ma ka aoao o ke kulanui.
I ka makahiki 2008, i ka puke a Jeff Wiltse, Nā Wai i hoʻopaʻapaʻa ʻia: He Moʻolelo Kaiāulu o nā ʻauʻau ma ʻAmelika, i waho, ua haʻi ʻo Wiltse iā NPR: "I ka makahiki 1920, 1930 a me 1940… he mea nui nā loko i ka lehulehu. I kēia manawa, ʻaʻole lākou, a no laila ʻo ka hapa nui o nā poʻe e makemake e komo i nā loko ʻauʻau e loaʻa i nā loko pilikino. He mea maopopo ia—hana—no ka pomaikai a i ole ia e hiki ai i ka poe Amerika waena a me ka papa kiekie… No laila, ua emi loa ko ka poe ilihune, o ka poe e noho ana ma na kulanakauhale nui, i na loko wai ma mua o ko Amerika i na manawa a pau. ʻo ka hope, e ʻōlelo, he haneli makahiki.
Ma nā waimaka o ka hauʻoli, ua haʻi aku ʻo Simone Manuel i kāna mea nīnauele NBC makemake ʻo ia e mahalo i ka poʻe e like me ia i hele mai ma mua ona. Ua haʻi ʻo ia iā Maritza Correia, ʻo ia i ka makahiki 2004 i hana i ka mōʻaukala ʻo ia ka wahine ʻeleʻele mua i loaʻa kahi wahi ma ka hui ʻauʻau 'Olumepika o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa a lanakila i ka mekala kālā ma ka 400-mika freestyle relay. He pōkole ka papa inoa o Manuel. I kēia manawa ua maopopo iā ʻoe ke kumu.
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ʻO Kevin B. Blackistone he panelist ESPN a he kaukaʻi kipa ma ke Kulanui o Philip Merrill Journalism ma ke Kulanui o Maryland. Kākau ʻo ia i ka ʻōlelo haʻuki no ka Washington Post. Mahalo iā Mākaʻikaʻi Portside no keia 'atikala.