(ThyBlackMan.com) They tell us we are all citizens, that we were born in this country. Well, a cat can have kittens in the oven, but that doesn’t make them biscuits!”-Malcolm X
One of the fascinating stories among NFL prospects during the 2021 NFL Draft was the story of former Michigan defensive end Kwity Paye. The former Michigan star was born in a refugee camp in the West African country, Guinea. Paye’s mother and older brother emigrated with him, when he was a baby, to the United States. Sadly, many of his other family members were killed by rebels in civil war. Kwity Paye gets his unique first name, from being named Kwity after his maternal grandfather. Despite a harrowing journey from west Africa to Rhode Island to Michigan, Paye’s hard work and talent as a college football player at Michigan led to him being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Another edge rusher selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft made an impactful, personal decision that proves a great point.
Another former Big Ten defensive end, Odafe Oweh, did not record any statistics for Penn State in his collegiate career under that name. In college, Oweh was referred to as “Jayson Oweh” and after being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, he said that he’ll be going by his first name, Odafe, in NFL. The reasoning behind the name clarification he told NBC Sports was that, “Jayson is my middle name. My first name is Odafe. I’m of Nigerian descent. People were having trouble pronouncing Odafe, so I went to Jayson my earlier years, but I don’t care anymore; you’re going to have to learn how to pronounce it.” It is clearly a beautiful sense of pride for Odafe Oweh and his logic makes a lot of sense on many levels.
Odafe Oweh is a first-generation American who was born in Hackensack, New Jersey to Nigerian parents and he “would like to go to Nigeria and help build bridges and roads with his degree” in civil engineering. The 2021 NFL Draft had a number of prospects born from African immigrant parents including former Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, who is descended from Nigerian royalty. The NFL is a largely “Black” league, as approximately 57.5 percent of NFL players during the 2020 NFL season were Black according to data from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport and their Complete 2020 Racial and Gender Report Card. Black NFL players means NFL players of African heritage, regardless whether they are the sons of African immigrants or if their family has been living in America for generations. It is important to note that Malcolm X’s comment regarding “a cat can have kittens in the oven, but that doesn’t make them biscuits” is a significant example that Africans are Africans regardless of where they are born, whether it is in America or any other country.
African Liberation Day 2021 was founded in 1958 by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and is celebrated each year around the world on May 25th. It is “a day of work in the area of political education and organisation, it reflects the fact that we have not obtained our freedom, and thus it is a day to reaffirm our commitment to Pan-Africanism, the total liberation and unification of Africa under scientific socialism”. Reclaiming his African heritage through his name as Odafe Oweh did is a visible source of pride as was his explanation. Sports fans, broadcasters, and commentators once struggled to pronounce the name of the reigning NBA MVP and now most can correctly pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines