Ken's Blog

Musings, reflections, and observations from the Beached White Male

Ken's Blog

Musings, reflections and observations from the Beached White Male​

Jim Adkins - Farewell good friend.

Rest in Peace, Jim.

It’s with deep sorrow that we report here that Jim Adkins passed away after a courageous and hard fought battle with Covid on September 8, 2021. We have re-released my conversation with Jim recorded in August 2020. 

On this podcast. Jim Adkins shares his experience growing up in Escondido, CA (where African Americans were excluded), discovering his considerable gift as a runner (holding records in the mile), and earning a spot on the San Jose State track team where three olympians took medals in Mexico City in 1968. We talk about his book – and the lessons in race that have stayed with him to this very day.

with Ken Kemp – Posted: August 7, 2020 

RECORDED August 6, 2020

Podcast Show Notes

Before Black Lives Mattered

by Jim Adkins

Tommie Smith Interview

with Harry Smith on TODAY

 

Jim Adkins and his team-mates at Speed City (San Jose State)

Rev. Adkins, an Escondido High School product, held Palomar’s mile (4:09.9), 880, and 3-mile records and was a member of three record-setting relay teams under coach Larry Knuth when he accepted a scholarship to San Jose State University. There, he was a teammate of John Carlos, Tommie Smith, and Lee Evans and ran on the Spartans’ 1969 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field championship team.
 
Adkins placed third for Knuth in the mile in the state community college meet as a freshman in 1966 and was second in the state as a sophomore in 1967. Adkins is currently pastor at the West Gate Church in Placentia, CA and is a published author.

From the Book Cover – 
 
Lee Evans, African-American and Gold Medalist in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics in the 400-meter dash, allowed me to observe his life up close. I saw the treatment he received by whites. Lee and I were teammates on the San Jose State track team from 1967-1969. This gave me first hand exposure to both the overt and subtle forms of hate and prejudice he faced daily. Through this journey, I came to grips with the innate racism and prejudice in myself. This book is a challenge to people of all ethnicities to look inside and move past tolerance to love.
 
Before Black Lives Mattered will:
  • Challenge everyone to think through their feelings about those different from them
  • Present an inside look at one of the all-time great dual meet track teams in history
  • Give you a fresh look at the dramatic “Black Power” salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City
 
 

More Pending