Unsung Athletes of Color from Bay Area Get Their Props in ‘Remember Their Sacrifice’
By Godfrey Lee
Arif Khatib and Pete Elman are promoting and selling their book “Remember Their Sacrifice – Stories of Unheralded Athletes of Color.” They hosted a book signing event on Sunday, May 7, 2023, at YEMA, a men and women’s clothing store located at 10 Main St. in Tiburon.
Khatib is the founder and president of the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame. Elman is an author, musician, teacher, and sports journalist in the Bay Area.
“This book is designed to teach people about African-Americans and other athletes of color, and how they greatly contributed to sports of America, (and) the Olympics,” says Khatib, “All of these athletes are heroes, and yet many people don’t know who they are, except their families and friends. It is our responsibility to shine a light on these athletes and talk about how they made their contributions.”
Khatib and Elman wrote about how these athletes did more than what they thought they could do as athletes, and hope that this book will inspire its readers to do more than what they think they can do in their own lives.
Khatib personally knew every individual in this book and many of them were in his Hall of Fame. He did further research, avoiding Google and other search engines, instead asking the athletes for raw facts, something never shared with others. What they shared was included in his book.
“We need to learn about each other, bridge that gap, and get past all that hate. It is time for diversity and inclusion, so we can live and get along together,” Khatib said.
Pete Elman, the coauthor of the book, loves playing sports, history, and teaching. Doing this book was an opportunity for him to combine his love of sports, writing, language, and teaching.
“It really makes a big difference when you know some of these people that you are writing about, and that you can call on their relatives, friends,” Elman said. “Even if they pass away, you can learn something about them.”
“These athletes crossed and broke the racial barrier and made it possible for today’s athletes to attain and enjoy the success that they have today,” Elman said.
The major athletes that are written about in the book are: Pumpsie Green, Alice Coachman, Pete Brown, Spencer Haywood, Toni Stone, Dr. Sammy Lee, Burl Toler, Billy Mills, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, Archie Williams, Janet Johnson, Curt Flood, Dr. Tae Yun Kim, Edward Gourdin, Emilio “Millito” Navarro, Chi Cheng, Lt. Eugene Evans and Lt. Col. Eli Page Howard Jr.
Other sports figures in the book are Don Barksdale, Mal Whitfield, Silas Simmons, Willye White, Yoshihiro Uchida, Marshall “Major” Taylor, Joe Reliford, Thell Torrence, Willy T. Ribbs, Joe Gaetjens, Manny McIntyre, Julius Menendez, Eddie Hart, Sam Lacy, and “Big Sam” Skinner.
The book can be obtained through Amazon, Rowman, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. For more information, call Arif Khatib at 510-629-2895.
