For Hicks, it’s about love, family

Given the nationwide rancor following the shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, as well as a shooter who killed five officers in Texas, any talk about race relations is going to be a touchy subject.

It’s way too easy to stir up the wrong feelings. And, let’s face it, arguing won’t get anyone anywhere any time soon.

I wanted to understand what was on the mind of some Middle Georgia players and coaches following what happened last week. That’s why I took up Jesse Hicks’ invitation to attend a Fellowship of Christian Athletes talk Thursday morning at Central, a campus that’s right in the thick of a neighborhood where trouble is easy to find.

Long story short: For a school district that often falls under heavy criticism, Bibb County has some people fighting to make one of its inner-city high schools — and the community that surrounds that school — shine.

Hicks, Central’s football head coach and athletics director, and principal Emanuel Frazier have done a fine job of putting together a strong community at the school. The football and basketball programs — both boys and girls — are on the upswing. The faculty, staff and students at the school have been wonderful to deal with, and there’s a good bit of support behind what’s going on there.

The words that drive Hicks’ approach? Love and family.

“At the end of the day, my dad had not been there for me,” Hicks said. “Had it not been for my coaches in Augusta, Georgia, I could have wound up like any other young man who had no direction. But football, sports, my coaches, my mother staying on me, my school teachers, everybody gave me an opportunity to be successful. And that’s what we’ve got to do right now, to take the same feeling that I had, that I was given, and pour it into these young people so they can become better fathers, husbands and neighbors.”

Sure enough, even on a super hot day in mid-July, there was plenty of activity going on at the school. The marching band was in full gear on one of the practice fields, working on elements they will bring to games this fall.

Football players from five programs — Central, Macon County, Northeast, Rutland and Wilkinson County — took part in a 7-on-7 passing camp on another practice field during the late morning hours. It was a good workout for them, as the teams worked on timing, routes and other things in a low-pressure environment.

Before that, however, the players and their coaches gathered in Central’s auditorium to hear a bit of a sermon from Hicks, as well as words from former Georgia and NFL linebacker Tony Gilbert (himself a Central product) and Dominique Johnson, a pastor who also works with Mercer’s Upward Bound program.

The gist of what they had to say: Those who line up against you on the football field, even while you do your best to claim victory in that game, are your brothers in life. No matter the team, no matter the race, the person you line up against is part of the same fraternity of men charged to provide leadership off the field.

Yes, there was a bit of reflection on what happened in Louisiana and Minnesota, where on first glance it appeared as if law enforcement might have gone too far. But the message delivered Thursday morning was to build up a strong community, not tear down one weakened by its faults.

“People talk about, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘All Lives Matter,’ ” Hicks said. “At the end of the day, God created all of us, and we all matter. And what we’ve got to do, even though there’s some negative going on, and I’m just as upset as anyone else about the killing that’s going on with my people, at the end of the day, we’ve got to find a solution.

“What I can control is athletics. So if I can bring a group of young men together and everyone sees them go out there competing and loving and going up against each other, that can change our community.”

After a week of seeing people on television shouting at each other, the messages delivered Thursday morning were incredibly encouraging. Investments are being made in these teenagers, with hopes that they will become strong leaders and family members.

If you as a sports fan want to contribute to that investment, it’s a simple process. Go to games on Friday nights this fall, even if you don’t have ties to a particular school. Be an encourager to those who are involved. The teenagers on the field will notice, and they will be thankful.

Soon enough, you will find yourself as part of a new family, one where the mix of races will be a building block and not a wrecking ball.

“The one thing about sports and football that I love is that it brings people together,” Hicks said. “Right now, with everything that is going on, even here in Middle Georgia we have our trials and tribulations and our problems, these young men and these coaches can galvanize this whole town. We’ve got to look back at the situation where we can help people.

“God created us in His likeness and His image, He didn’t create us by color. We’ve got to start caring and loving on each other.”

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 10:10 PM with the headline "For Hicks, it’s about love, family."