They were America’s black handsome heroes. Now they are ugly, old or dead. They have failed us and the millennium generation that has now surpassed the baby boomers in population hardly even know who they were when they were the greatest. I am talking about Mohammed Ali who even though he was only a boxing champion he was the greatest in that he brought all people together and helped America to understand the peaceful Muslim in this country. For the past 20 years his voice has been silent due to terrible illnesses and now he is dead.  Bill Cosby was America’s educated comedian who would never be confused with a Black Panther or a Super Fly as they called radical blacks in those days. Now he is a pathetic ugly old man who has more sad memories of his past than good ones. America trusted him. Then there is our All American once handsome football hero O.J. Simpson who all women fell in love with. His black handsomeness next to his blond beauty of a wife made all Americans understand inter racial marriages and accept them. They looked great together. Now all we hear about is the terrible violent unsolved murder of his wife and a friend and his involvement in it all. We lost our black heroes.

It is now twenty years later and for some reason we need to relive the sensational O.J. Simpson trial.  Now there is even a documentary being made on the trial. If they are not going to find a killer well then enough is enough. If anything all this coverage has only destroyed race relations even more. There was already the CBS Made for TV Drama, the hit FX Miniseries and now photos of O.J.in jail. Ugly and old greying at age 68. Our hero is just another old black guy in jail for life. He has been locked behind bars for 8 years for robbery. He is no longer the charismatic man who once was on the cover of many magazines.  The guy who one a Heisman Trophy as a running back.

Even just in college not only did he cross color lines he seemed to erase  ]ines.  No black athlete had the trust of all America before O/J/ that he was doing Hertz commercials. He sold cars and soda and stared in comic movies. People was suddenly appalled that he was being accused of domestic violence and then a horrific murder of his beautiful wife. Tens of millions of Americans were riveted by the trial that suddenly divided us by black people for O.J. and white people for the prosecution or  his dead white folk.

Racial tensions poured out onto the streets. His arrogance would say” I’m not Black I’m not white, I’m O.J.” After 9 months of testimony, the jury came to a decision in just a matter of hours.  It showed all Americans the circus a courtroom can become. He was found libel in the trial and ordered to pay the families of the deceased 33 million dollars.