Pierre de Coubertin Quotes
Racial distinctions should not play a role in sport.
Coubertin, Pierre de. Olympism: Selected Writings. Edited by Norbert Müller, International Olympic Committee, 2000, p. 176.
The great contralto singer, Marian Anderson, an African American, had been refused by the Daughters of the American Revolution the use of Constitution Hall as a venue for her concert based on their White Performers Only policy. First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, resigned in protest from the DAR and she and the President asked Secretary Ickes to arrange a public concert at the Lincoln Memorial and he did. There was no Civil Rights Act at the time.
The power structure of England and the English administrators of South Africa were strong advocates of racial equality at the beginning of the 19th century. They insisted on equal administration of law. However the Boer white population could think of nothing more absurd. In a sense the Boers were much like the Southern Whites at the same time. The South African government however could not enforce its equality policies in the rural area – the majority of South Africa at the time. When democracy and self rule came to South Africa, the racially moderating force of the English was minimized and the majority of South Africans wanted a racially segregated society. Apartheid resulted.
The decision was 5-4 and reversed a trend in which the court had been going before. Roberts and another appointment by George W. Bush tilted the majority. See {614911} for a quotation from the 4 justice dissent.
When the Democrats won the presidency, there was great fear that all the appointments that Blacks had garnered would be undone as the results of the Southern racist element of the Democratic party. The President held the line, much to the distress of his Southern supporters.
Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educator and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and its second president. He is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games.
