'Call them state champions.' Douglass and Millwood teams get support, rings

A local minister's sermon about communication took on new meaning for a group of local high school basketball players sitting in the pews.

On a recent Sunday morning at Eastside Church of Christ, several members of the Douglass and Millwood high school boys basketball teams listened as Gary Jones Jr. talked about their recent state championship victories.

He said he knew both teams had received championship trophies, but he also had noticed they had been on the receiving end of something else: social media posts describing them in derogatory "coded language."

Jones, Eastside Church of Christ's minister, said he and his congregation wanted to share a message of their own with the athletes ― a message of support. They hoped their encouragement would help counter the negative social media posts that circulated during the state basketball tournament in early March.

"We are at a point in time where everyone wants to have something to say about our young people," Jones said. "We thought it was a good time for us to weigh in, as well."

And, to the players' surprise, the church donated $1,000 to each team through the congregation's Random Acts of Care and Kindness (RACK) outreach. Jones said the church hoped the funds would help the teams pay for their championship rings.

"They can call them thugs, they can call them classless, but let's be clear, they will also have to call them state champions," Jones said, causing the church to erupt with cheers and applause.

'Eastside together'

Millwood overcame Tulsa Metro Christian 56-53 to win the Class 3A state championship on March 11 at State Fair Arena. It was Millwood's 17th state title in program history, the most in Oklahoma high school basketball. Douglass beat Weatherford 48-44 for the Class 4A state championship on the same day. It was Douglass' 11th state championship.

Jones' sermon on March 19 was from Psalm 107. He said those who have been "redeemed" by God, should always be ready to share their stories of redemption and speak good and positivity. After a quick, humorous lesson using the young athletes in his midst, the minister encouraged church members to make sure they voiced their support for the two teams in their community so that the negative voices weren't the loudest or only voices being heard. Jones said he was a three-sport athlete in his youth and a former assistant Douglass High School basketball coach, and he remembered how some adults talked negatively about high school athletes playing against teams they supported.

After the service, the minister said his wife, Jill, a 1996 Millwood graduate and high school basketball athlete, came up with the idea for the RACK outreach several years ago. He said they both were concerned when they began to see numerous negative social media posts about the predominantly Black Millwood and Douglass boys basketball teams during the recent state championship tournaments.

"It spoke to the character of those young men — it was coded language," Jones said. "I've been a professional in DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in higher education for over a decade, and I know a dog whistle when I hear one."

A dog whistle is the use of terms that seem innocuous but are intended to convey a hidden and potentially controversial message to a particular audience.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term "coded language" is used to describe a word or phrase chosen in place of another word or phrase in order to communicate an attitude or meaning without stating it explicitly. The National Education Justice's EDJustice website said coded language means the substitution of terms describing racial identity with seemingly race-neutral terms that disguise explicit and/or implicit racial animus.

Jones said he noticed a good thing in all the state championship furor: The fans. Fans of both Millwood and Douglass, predominantly Black schools on opposite stretches of Martin Luther King Avenue in the mostly African American northeast part of Oklahoma City closed ranks and supported both schools whose championship games were played back to back.

"I heard people saying 'Millwood won, Douglass is next — East side together,'" Jones said.

The players and adult supporters from their schools were grateful for the church's support.

Milo Wilson, 49, a 1991 Millwood graduate serving as Millwood School Board vice president, said the donation and moral support was "great."

"This is not only great, this is community coming together and it's good for the kids," he said. Wilson said the social media posts that Jones referred to "totally blew my mind as a board member."

Meanwhile, Douglass High School basketball star Terry McMorris, 18, also shared his gratitude.

"God's given us a blessing for all the hard work we've been putting in," he said. "I'm just very thankful."

Dorian Williams, 29, Douglass boys basketball assistant coach, was delighted.

"This is great ― excellent," he said. "I think one thing we talk about (as a team) is always trying to do it for the community and trying to perform in a way that the next generation of kids have some hope and someone to look up to."

Ricky Hunt, 43, Millwood School Board president and 1998 Millwood graduate, said he, like Jones, also loved seeing the community surrounding both Millwood and Douglass show support for both teams. He noted that the Eastside Church of Christ congregation included graduates from both schools.

"We're excited that our community is coming together to honor and to support our African American students on Martin Luther King strip," he said. "That shows volumes of how much this community means to this church."

Eastside church member Anita Reynolds, a longtime educator who retired as a school counselor, shared similar comments.

"I came up in a community where it takes a village," Reynolds said. "We've just got to support our kids. A lot of it is about affirmation, about saying 'You're OK ― do your thing.'"

Jones's parting words to the basketball players conveyed the church's great expectations for the youths.

"I hope and pray that you all wear your rings proudly and let everybody know that you are champions," he said. "Don't let this championship that you won last week be the last great thing that you accomplish."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Church outreach works to counter negativity for Douglass and Millwood