Devon Harris’ letter to the editor

Editor’s note: Following the controversy surrounding the cancellation of the movie “Cool Runnings” at WHS, Devon Harris, who competed in the 1988 Olympic Jamaican Bobsled Team, wrote a letter to WSPN responding to the situation. Harris’ letter was in response to the events explained in a previously published WSPN article.

I recently read that a Massachusetts high school principal reversed her students’ vote to make watching and discussing Cool Runnings their winter recess activity. The reason: the principal had received concerns from members of her community that raised her awareness “about elements of the movie that could be viewed as culturally and racially insensitive.”

Being a three-time Winter Olympian and a member of the Jamaica Bobsled Team whose exploits were depicted in Cool Runnings, I feel compelled to respond. In the 25 years since the movie’s release, that’s the first time I have heard that concern. Since the thought had never even entered my mind, I have to ask what does she mean when she describes the movie as being racially insensitive?

That six island boys with black skin stood out in the icy, snowy, 99% white world of the 1988 Winter Olympics? That we were anomalies? That many mocked us and told us we did not belong?… All true! That we are depicted this way is not racial insensitivity, it is history. It marks an early step in a continuous march towards progress and equality.

The proof is in the numbers. In the Calgary Games, there were a handful of black athletes on the US and British bobsled teams; plus Debbie Thomas, the U.S. figure skater. The Jamaicans were the only all black team and the first to ever compete in the Winter Olympics. Today, black athletes from five continents compete in a range of Winter Olympic sports. And, our little island of Jamaica has expanded to women’s bobsled and male skeleton as well! Medals or no medals, I call this success.

I am not suggesting that racism does not exist. I’m sure a percentage of people could watch Cool Runnings and nitpick ethnic insinuations throughout it. But to deny students the chance to view it because it may be “racially insensitive” is akin to calling black people too weak and thin skinned to handle the haters. We have survived small-minded and big-mouthed bigotry for centuries.

I know that racism both overtly and in all its subtlety is alive and flourishing. We must all be ever vigilant against it. We also must be wise enough to understand that not everything is black and white. No pun intended. We must diligently navigate the nuances. People have a choice regarding how to relate to those who are different; you can separate from them or celebrate with them. The reason the Olympic Village is a place I call Utopia is because we compete individually, but celebrate together! When we embrace the differences, we enrich ourselves.

A second thing that popped out at me from the news article was the principal’s assertion that the film depicted us “Jamaicans traveling to Canada in a ‘fish-out-of-water’ story…”

I never saw the movie through that spectrum before, but guess what? The principal has widened my perspective. We were the poster boys for “fish out of water.” Not because we got fished out or washed to shore. But because we dared to leap out of our limited pond and take on a new far more challenging environment.

BREAKING NEWS…..

Skin color alone does not determine who might seem or even feel out of place. Back in 1988, I met a young South American skier in the film room in the Olympic Village watching film of her training runs that day. She confided in me that she didn’t think she was very good, at least not compared to skiers from the more traditionally competitive countries. She felt like a “fish out of water.” I did not feel shame for her or tiptoe around her in fear I’d be insensitive. I encouraged her. The phrase I used to use back then and which I shared with her was “KEEP ON KEEPING ON!”

What my friends in Massachusetts must realize, what we all must realize, is that when you set out to achieve something phenomenal, you’re not going to be GREAT AT THE START. When you compete against those who are at the top of their game, you will feel like a fish out of water. YOU HAVE TO! If you don’t, you are deluding yourself.

When pursuing noble goals and big dreams, there comes a point of no return. The moment you cross that rubicon, you are going to feel like a “fish out water.” It has nothing to do with ethnicity, skin color, country of origin, or culture. It’s called being human. That is both the pain and the beauty of being human. We fail. We learn. Improve. Adapt. Grow.

I truly appreciate the principal in Massachusetts not wanting to hurt or offend part of her community. I also appreciate the sports adage “no pain, no gain.” Next time, if you think the subject matter in the movie is too hot, don’t avoid it. Use Cool Runnings to teach a hot lesson! Guide students to discuss attitudes or actions that may offend others and encourage them to welcome the opportunity to become a “fish-out-of water.”

Here is my hot lesson for students of life, no matter your age: when you do leap out of your water – take on a new sport, a new job, a new cause, move to a new city, run for public office, dare to lead – expect ridicule and moments of self doubt. You will LOOK and FEEL like a “fish out of water.” That’s natural. Persist, persevere, you will grow a spine and legs. You will evolve into a stronger, smarter, more confident, better being. Then one day you may get the opportunity to take a truly dramatic leap. You may even crash spectacularly as we did in Calgary. You will get up. You will recover. You will learn from your mistakes. You will KEEP ON PUSHING and when your chance for redemption comes, you will be ready.

You will SUCCEED.

About Devon Harris:

Devon Harris is an original member of the 1988 Jamaica bobsled team and captain of the 1992 and 1998 Jamaica Olympic Bobsled Teams. He is a graduate of the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England and served as an officer in the Jamaica Defence Force until he retired as a Captain in December 1992. Today, he is an international motivation keynote speaker, an author and the founder of the Keep On Pushing Foundation which strives to support the education of kids in disadvantaged communities.