Thomas J. Whalen

Associate professor, Boston University 

That’s because no one in the front office -- especially Yawkey -- wanted blacks on the team.

John Henry Is Right. Yawkey Way Should Be Renamed

In this June 22, 2017 file photo, retired Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is honored with the renaming of a portion of Yawkey Way to David Ortiz Drive outside Fenway Park in Boston. Red Sox principal owner John Henry, at right, says he wants to take steps to rename all of Yawkey Way, a street that has been an enduring reminder of the franchise's complicated racial past. At center rear is Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. (Charles Krupa/AP)

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"[Nixon] was an activist. He wanted to do a lot of things no one had ever tried."

Is Trump A Carbon Copy Of Nixon? We Should Be So Lucky

Recent Trump comparisons to Nixon obscure the fact that Nixon left a remarkably progressive domestic record, writes Thomas J. Whalen. (Both photos AP)



Trump-Nixon

Donald Trump

Politics

A man without integrity, belief or self-respect is not a man. And a man who won’t express his convictions has no convictions.

LeBron Said 'Being Black In America Is Tough.' Bill Russell Would Agree

LeBron James is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/ AP)

LeBron James

Since being signed in 2003 as a minor free agent by former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, Ortiz has become Boston’s latter day Babe Ruth.

We in Boston have been privileged to witness athletic royalty these past two decades... Chances are we won’t see it again in our spectator lifetimes.

Must He Go? Big Papi's Big Year, And A Sports Hero For The Ages

A video of Boston Red Sox’s David Ortiz is shown on a television during the second inning of a baseball game against Tampa Bay Rays Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Ortiz asked the Tampa Bay Rays to cancel a pregame tribute they planned in his honor, after the death of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez in a boating accident Sunday.(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is supported by only 1 percent of African-American voters nationwide.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., second from left, shakes hands with then-Vice President Richard Nixon as they meet to discuss race issues in the South, June 13, 1957. Sen. Irving M. Ives (R-N.Y.) and Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell, far left and far right, look on. (Henry Griffin/AP)

The party of Lincoln has thus become the party of Jefferson Davis.

How The GOP Lost The African-American Vote

An audience member clasps her hands as she listens to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speak at a "Get Out The Vote" rally for historically black colleges and universities, at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C. on Feb. 26, 2016. (Gerald Herbert/AP)



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Election 2016

While separated by 60 odd years, Trump’s denigrating remarks about the family of slain U.S. Army captain Humayun Kahn are eerily reminiscent of McCarthy’s political self-immolation during the Army-McCarthy hearings.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pictured at campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday, July 29, 2016. (Evan Vucci/AP) 

Echoes Of McCarthy: Will Trump Pay A Political Price For His Apparent Lack Of 'Decency'?

Sen. Joseph McCarthy pictured on April 13, 1953. (AP)



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Gore definitely has the established bona fides to take another crack at the presidency. But is such a quest politically wise or even realistic?

Being ahead of the curve on global climate change is impressive enough, but Gore was also ahead on cutting edge domestic issues like gay marriage.

Run, Al, Run: Gore For President In 2016?

Al Gore definitely has the established bona fides to take another crack at the presidency. But is such a quest politically wise or even realistic? In this picture, the former vice president waves to the media after his meeting with French president Francois Hollande, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Monday, May 18, 2015. (Francois Mori/AP)

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This musical injustice should be rectified as soon as possible.

We all made fun of their music back in the 1960s, but they’re classics.

'I'm A Believer': Why The Monkees Deserve A Place In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

It's easy to dismiss The Monkees as a "made for TV" rock band. But they are so much more. The group members are pictured here at the 1967 Emmy Awards, from left to right, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz. (AP)

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Arts

It doesn’t seem to matter that Lee, who turned down an offer by Lincoln to command the Union army before the actual shooting started, was by definition a traitor and a terrorist.

Clouds Of Glory And Robert E. Lee

The lives of his own soldiers evidently mattered less to him than his own degenerate belief in Confederate honor.

Can Someone Explain How Robert E. Lee Became An American Icon?

Thomas J. Whalen: A proliferation of books about the Civil War conveniently gloss over the fact that the Confederate general was a domestic terrorist who advocated the enslavement of millions. In this photo, Robert E. Lee poses in his uniform during the American Civil War, 1861-65. (AP)

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policy

He had 'one of the most tenacious, killer instincts in the game,'

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant, center, talks with fans before an exhibition spring training game between the Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates, Friday, March 1, 2013, in Fort Myers, Fla. (David Goldman/AP)

Luis Tiant Deserves A Place In Baseball's Hall Of Fame

Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant is shown in 1972. (AP)

Thomas J. Whalen

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LeBron Said 'Being Black In America Is Tough.' Bill Russell Would Agree

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Must He Go? Big Papi's Big Year, And A Sports Hero For The Ages

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How The GOP Lost The African-American Vote

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Echoes Of McCarthy: Will Trump Pay A Political Price For His Apparent Lack Of 'Decency'?

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Run, Al, Run: Gore For President In 2016?

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'I'm A Believer': Why The Monkees Deserve A Place In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

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