The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Busch Student Center was filled with energy and excitement Tuesday night as Ken Carter served as the Black History Month Keynote Speaker. He was sponsored by the Black Student Alliance and co-sponsored by the Great Issues Committee, the Cross Cultural Center and the African-American Studies Department. Carter is known for the scholastic and academic turnaround he brought to the men's basketball team of Richmond High School in Richmond, Calif. His story was portrayed in the 2005 feature film Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson in the title role. Carter forced all of the players on his team to sign contracts that they would meet certain academic requirements, as well as uphold standards of accountability and integrity, in order to maintain a position on his team. When many of the team members did not meet these requirements, Carter ordered a team lock-out, despite many disapproving students, parents and faculty members. Carter took this action in response to the low graduation rate and college attendance from Richmond High School. Carter reported that Richmond High only had a 50 percent graduation rate at the time; he wanted to raise the standards. Carter contended that the actions he took were not a punishment, but a discipline. "A discipline can last you a lifetime," he said. Carter later challenged the audience to uphold the same standards of accountability and integrity to which he held his team. "When all else fails, simply tell the truth," he said. Carter discussed how to become a successful person after college graduation. "Knowledge is not power; the use of knowledge is power. We have to be great followers before we can be great leaders," he said. Carter discussed several other aspects of his life, adding humor throughout his speech. He briefly described his childhood, saying that he grew up in a large family in McComb, Miss. He said that his family had little money, but that one should not let financial limitations get in the way of success. Carter also alluded to a spiritual aspect of his life, saying, "We're not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." Carter also said that God answered his prayers to send him to California where he became a self-made businessman and began coaching a Christian Youth Organization basketball team. As a coach, Carter faced problems with team players and angry spectators. "I never attacked a person; I attacked a problem," he said. Carter said that he is pleased with the recent movie made about his life and that it is 98.5 percent accurate. He also announced that he has his own show in the works, which is scheduled to air on ABC this fall. Carter concluded by saying that, even though others might discourage us from our dreams and tell us that we cannot be successful, we must believe in ourselves. "The only people who make money in the United States work in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Mint. The rest of us have to earn money. The only way to earn money is to think," he said.

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