One of the things I especially appreciate about Recorder columnist Amos Brown is his tremendous knowledge of analytics and statistical data. Not only does he have the resources to obtain the appropriate information, but he also remembers it years later. And anyone who is a frequent reader of his column knows that he will remind us all of the relevant information that this community needs to be aware of.
Brown does just that in his column this week; he tells us the truth about Circle City Classic this year as well as years past.
I always tell people, whether you like Amos or not, or even if you agree or disagree with what he says; you should respect his knowledge and passion for the community as well as the fact that he has been a vocal mainstay for nearly three decades.
The reason I share my thoughts about Amos in this column is because I truly believe that he does not have a personal vendetta against Indiana Black Expo or Circle City Classic (despite what some people may think). Sometimes in our community, it can be difficult for us to hear the truth in a very blatant and in-your-face way. For years, Amos has done what I have tried to do in reference to IBE/Classic: support both entities, but also be honest about the organizations’ realities, and also offer some possible solutions to enhance IBE and Classic.
The ultimate goal for both Amos and me is to see Indiana Black Expo and Circle City Classic thrive.
I won’t repeat the numbers from last week’s Classic or even those of years’ past because Amos does a great job of that in his column. What I will do however; is offer my personal reflections on this year’s Classic festivities as well as the reflections of others in the community who shared their thoughts with me.
As a longtime supporter of Circle City Classic, I always participate in as many activities as I can. As a matter of fact, many of the festivities have become a tradition for my family and I, as we often attend certain activities together.
This year, as in recent years, the experience didn’t measure up as well as it has in the past. The parade, which has by far been my personal favorite activity, seemed unorganized and lackluster. As my family and I walked the parade route to find our seats, I saw irritated parade participants and visibly-frustrated volunteers.
Let me first say, if someone is volunteering for Circle City Classic, they obviously want to be there; as it is not a mandate to participate in any capacity. So, I believe the volunteers who were frustrated were not bad apples trying to dramatize their actions, rather they were committed people who simply didn’t agree with the way things were going or they felt like the entire event lacked structure.
One volunteer who made me promise not to mention his name told me, “this is by far my worst experience with this parade in several years. I’ve tried to hold on time after time because Rev. (Charles) Williams was a close friend of our family; but I can’t do it anymore. This will be my last year volunteering.”
When I asked the gentleman what his main frustrations were, he told me the “people don’t know what they are doing and no one makes you feel like your services are appreciated.” He finished off by saying, “I don’t work for Classic, I choose to volunteer so if nothing else, staff, chairman and everybody else should at least show appreciation instead of thinking me and other volunteers have to do this.”
Several bleachers along the parade route were empty and there seemed to be even fewer people camping out along the streets. It wasn’t just disappointing, but also sad.
Speaking of sad, attendance at the game was visibly lower. As an HBCU grad and strong proponent of Black schools, seeing such low attendance was especially sad for me.
Quite frankly, the momentum and excitement of Circle City Classic is gone. I long for the days of the 1990s when everyone participated in the festivities and were actually excited to be on the scene.
For years, people, including myself, have complained about Classic’s current leadership – relative to staff and board members. While I still agree that some drastic internal changes need to be made in order for that organization to be relevant in the future, I am going to take a different approach in this column.
Rather than harp on the same things I’ve been harping on for years in regards to Classic, such as the organization’s staff and board of directors; I am putting the ball in your court too.
There are things the general public can do to help both IBE and Classic. We can continue to support both entities and hope that our support, through participation and financial contributions, will somehow lead to change.
The goal of Classic is to raise money for scholarships. Despite one’s opinion of Classic’s President Tanya Bell or even members of the board; the bottom line is the organization gives minority students money towards their college education.
Let us forget about the people of Classic and instead remind ourselves of the ultimate goal of Classic: helping kids. At least then, we can say we have done our part.
But, it cannot be all on us. Classic’s staff and board are going to have to focus on one another and implement strategies that will enhance internal strength. I can urge people to support Classic until I am blue in the face, but after awhile, that support is still going to wane if internal changes are not made.
Classic officials need to realize people are tired of the way things are going and won’t continue to support something they don’t agree with.
Collectively, we (the community, board and staff) can all do our part to build Classic back up – but it has to be a unified effort. If not, the organization will fail and the borrowed time that it has been on in recent years will expire.
You can email comments to Shannon Williams at shannonw@indyrecorder.com.
