Culture and history were center stage at the Wayne State University, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -Tribute. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the 2011 keynote speaker.

The presentation had international highlights and compared basketball history with current cultural impact.

The program was at the Max M. Fisher Music Center and was entertaining and informative. It was noted that basketball has grown to a world-wide activity and is important to current culture.

In measured speech, Abdul-Jabbar complimented the WSU mentoring process.

“Mentoring is an essential part of the educational process,” he said.

With particular grace, Abdul-Jabbar emphasized to the students in the audience, “My best message to you is that, knowledge is power.”

He went on to highlight his collegiate days at UCLA. “Coach John Wooden expected us to be good students.”

“Dr. King had a big impact on me between my sophomore and junior high school summer. I attended a journalism seminar and got to meet Dr. King. I learned to honor those that came before me. I saw what Black-Americans did to strive for basic rights. The rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. What Martin Luther King Jr. did, changed America permanently and for the better,” said Abdul-Jabbar.

Abdul-Jabbar is considered by many to be one of the greatest basketball player’s of all time. He stressed humbly that his celebrity is a tool to reach present day students.
The six time NBA Championship winner had a career of 20 professional seasons. The NCAA has named him one of the top 100 scholar-athletes of the century.

ESPN called him the “Greatest Collegiate Player of the 20th Century” and Time Magazine pronounced him “History’s Greatest Player”.

His best selling book, “On the Shoulders of Giants”, is in final production as a documentary film to be released in theaters nationwide in February of 2011. As a sports historian, Abdul-Jabbar chronicled the history of the ‘Harlem Renaissance’ basketball teams of the 1930’s and their great basketball success. During the 1932-33 regular season, the Rens compiled a record of 120-8. During that season, the Rens, as they were known, won 88 consecutive games. Film highlights were shown.

He reminded everyone that February is Black History Month. “Black people and other folks of color helped make this nation,” he said. The encouragement to strive for excellence was peppered throughout his presentation. He also stressed inclusion and respect for all diversity.

The post presentation luncheon was a benefit for Detroit area schools through the Adopt-A-Classroom program.

Last year, Detroit schools realized $10,000 from Wayne State’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute. The event also kept Dr. King’s vision of racial harmony front and center. Many Detroit Public School students volunteered in community service activities as part of the MLK holiday celebration.

Students from the Inside-Out Poets did recitations and choral groups from the Detroit High School of Arts and the Detroit Academy of the Arts and Sciences performed.
Local basketball talk was front and center before and after the luncheon. In the concert hall’s ‘green room’, Jennifer Hammond, Detroit Fox-2 sports reporter, was amazed with all the classic Wayne State Basketball history discussed. “I wasn’t aware that Coach Joel Mason had such a great basketball pedigree at Wayne State. Kareem really knows his basketball history. This all has a good feel for Detroit and it is living history,” she said.

It seemed like the NBA and Detroit Public School League stories could have filled a book. The 1967 Detroit PSL chronicles had everyone’s attention. Also, a list of great Flint area players that went on to collegiate success was discussed.

The highlights also included Detroit Pistons anecdotes with talk about Morrie Moorawnick, and other Detroit basketball icons like ‘The Barber’, ‘The Brow’ and ‘Gus’ stories.

In 2010 Abdul-Jabbar founded the ‘Skyhook Foundation’, a nonprofit that mentors aspiring youths by combining sports and education programs. For more information on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his community work, visit www.theskyhookfoundation.com

Editors Note: Raymond Rolak is a veteran broadcaster who covers sports of global interest, especially in Europe and Asia.