Social Justice
Black NFL Referee Officials Come Together To Honor Burl Toler
Burl Toler was the first black official in any major sport who served as an NFL field judge and head linesman beginning in 1965
55 years after Burl Toler became the first Black official in the NFL, current Black officials came together to honor his legacy.
The all-Black officiating crew worked an NFL game for the first time in league history when the Los Angeles Rams faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.
The crew was led by referee Jerome Boger, which also included umpire Barry Anderson, down judge Julian Mapp, line judge Carl Johnson, side judge Dale Shaw, field judge Anthony Jeffries and back judge Greg Steed.
Burl Toler was the first Black official in any major sport who served as an NFL field judge and head linesman beginning in 1965. Johnny Grier became the NFL’s first black referee in 1988 and Mike Carey served as the first African American to lead an officiating crew at a Super Bowl 20 years later.
When the NFL announced the crew was being assembled last week, league executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent praised the move ‘a testament to the countless and immeasurable contributions of black officials to the game, their exemplary performance, and to the power of inclusion that is the hallmark of this great game.’
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine®
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Buried history: Documentary uncovers Black slave cemetery hidden under Staten Island shopping center
Justice for Nolan Wells Reward Fund raises $300k
NYPD makes arrest 8 months after Kianna Underwood’s fatal hit‑and‑run
In Memoriam: R&B legend Freddie Jackson dies at 70
UK soul singer Scarlett Fagan releases video for new single ‘Awaken’
Strangers raise $10,000 in 48 hours for Las Vegas piano tuner after viral video
VP of Detroit funeral home found dead days after family said mother was mistakenly cremated
New York deli owner rewards kids with cash and snacks for good grades
Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley to open 10,000‑square‑foot Times Square restaurant on Oct. 3
Black Public Media opens submissions for 10th PitchBLACK, offering filmmakers up to $150,000 in production funding
Woody Shaw’s Avant‑Garde ‘Song of Songs’ returns to vinyl after 50 years through Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf Series
Kansas City’s Copper Boyz Ranch provides youth violence‑prevention through horsemanship
Nolan Wells’ family demands ‘thorough’ investigation: “What we’ve been told does not make sense”
Peabo Bryson, Grammy‑winning voice behind two Disney classics, dies at 75
OWN greenlights first-ever ‘Belle Collective’ spinoff Belle Collective: Birmingham
-
In Memoriam1 week agoVP of Detroit funeral home found dead days after family said mother was mistakenly cremated
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoMississippi police make second arrest in death of Black woman found hanging from tree
-
Real Voices2 weeks agoBlack Aerospace Professionals Development Director Haifa Baptiste dies in Costa Rica flash flood
-
Health & Wellness2 weeks agoCalifornia couple welcomes rare mixed triplets weighing 19 pounds total, nearly breaking world record
-
In Memoriam2 weeks agoNorth Carolina A&T mourns beloved senior who tragically died after saving sister from drowning
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoBeloved Southern Illinois Univ. Professor Kofi Akamani shot and killed; wife charged with murder
-
Real Voices2 weeks agoNolan Wells’ autopsy report and cellphone data raise more questions about his death, says attorneys
-
Social Justice1 week agoWhite Philadelphia teacher and activist admits to lying about being Black and Palestinian