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Birmingham Reminds Us That Black History is More Than A Month

I was on a Southwest flight recently and saw an ad in the Spirit in-flight magazine that made me reconsider and rethink Birmingham, Alabama. The copy was as arresting as the visual of a Civil Rights protester getting arrested.

50YF_SouthwestAd_CrystalBlogPost

Ad Body Copy //

An afternoon at a lunch counter. A thousand arms linked at the elbow. A line of fire hoses. A pack of German Shepherds. A letter from a Birmingham jail. A children's crusade. A devastating explosion. A world that would never be the same. The year was 1963, and as the whole world watched, events in Birmingham sparked the beginning of the end of a centuries-long struggle for freedom. In the year leading up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the city's most courageous citizens fought for a world where we could all live as equals. And now, we celebrate their courage, their strength, their defiance - and their hard-won victory over oppression. Join us as we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign and experience some of the most prominent landmarks and monuments of the era, such as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Walk in the footsteps of the citizens who changed the world forever. For more information on upcoming events planned for the Birmingham commemoration, visit 50yearsforward.com.

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The first time I read this I got upset. I began to wonder if that was Bull Connor in the photo and recoiled, frowning at the page. I saw images of fire hoses, dogs and bombed churches from Eyes on the Prize flicker across my mind's eye. I got all worked up in the window seat, thinking about "Bombingham" and the fear it inspired.

Then I read the ad again. And started to think about Birmingham differently.

The historic facts in the copy are true. But the copy also acknowledges a truth that wouldn't have come from the Birmingham of old - that the protestors were courageous citizens who helped change the world. It has been 50 years since those events. I've never been to Birmingham because I always saw it in black and white grainy photos and film footage of violence. That ad made me think. I stared at it for ten minutes, realizing that my perception of Birmingham, while rooted in its history, is dated.

A city defined by the Civil Rights Movement is embracing that history, turning it into a positive association. This fascinated me as a strategist, it intrigued me as a traveler and it made me pause and reflect as a black woman. Black History Month is over, but Birmingham has issued an invitation to come celebrate the history of the Civil Rights Movement all year long. I checked out the 50 Years Forward website, read USA Today and blog posts and now Birmingham is officially on my "to do" list this year. Effective advertising shapes attitudes and drives behavior. Clearly, this ad worked on me.

Aug 092012

Greatness Isn't Exploitation

This morning we started talking around the water cooler about the Nike Olympic spot that is getting a lot of buzz. You know, the one with the out-of-shape kid running down a country road. Folks mentioned the simplicity of the story and the surprise of who was running as the kid came into frame. Everyone thought it was inspiring.

We also discussed the meaning and what Nike was trying to say. The message I saw was that greatness is in the effort as well as the outcome, and that Nike is for all kinds of people - from Olympic athletes to out-of-shape kids trying to run a mile. We each related to the story a little differently, but we all related to it and liked it.

I was shocked to read that Jezebel accused the brand of fat shaming. And the Washington Post wondered if the commercial was exploitation. The unexpected sight of a fat kid in a Nike ad seems to have some cultural critics misreading it.

I went back and watched the ad again with a more critical eye. Nope. I don't see exploitation or shaming. Those accusations are over the top. Take a look for yourself.

The copy is lofty and speaks about "the rest of us" and "all of us". Here it is again.

"Greatness. It's just something we made up. Somehow we've come to believe that greatness is a gift reserved for the chosen few. The prodigies. The superstars. And the rest of us can only stand by watching. You can forget that. Greatness is not some rare DNA strand. It's not some precious thing. Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing. We're all capable of it. All of us. Find your greatness."

It doesn't say anything mean or shaming. It must be the visual of the kid running that has them upset. The implicit argument in some of the critiques is that the mere act of showing an overweight kid battling through exertion exploits his body and shames him. Nonsense.

I prefer the implicit argument in the spot itself: people of all sizes jog and there is no shame in their game, only potential greatness. Showing Nathan Sorrell of London, Ohio running is to represent him specifically, sure, and due to the spot's popularity he's having his fifteen minutes of fame. But Nike and its agency, Weiden + Kennedy, also wrapped him in the community of "all of us" and made him heroic - an affirmation, not shaming.

Greatness is a process and a state of mind as much as it is an outcome. So if Nike is going to represent "all of us" and inspire "the rest of us" through a single runner, why not him? He was great.

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Birmingham Reminds Us That Black History is More Than A Month

Greatness Isn't Exploitation