Alabama TV anchors throw banana at Harlem Globetrotter — and he wants an apology
A member of the Harlem Globetrotters is speaking out after what he says was a racist incident broadcast on live TV.
Maxwell Pearce, 24, recalled the moment two Birmingham-based anchors threw a banana and other fruits at him during a live segment aired on WBRC-TV’s morning show earlier this year. Pearce was there to promote an upcoming event by the Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team known for their playful tricks and stunts.
The hoop star posted an edited version of the segment on Aug. 15 and said he was hesitant about going public at first.
“I was torn because half of me was concerned about jeopardizing my job, while the other half has wanted to call out an unfortunate experience,” Pearce said in a video posted to his YouTube page. “And I hope that by sharing this story, it can inspire people to voice their experiences of racism and discrimination with the ultimate goal of eradicating this behavior from our society.”
A clip from the January incident shows the basketballer doing a few tricks when someone off-camera throws a tangerine at him. He hands the fruit back to one of the anchors, only for two more tangerines to fly his way seconds later.
Then came the banana, which Pearce caught in his right hand.
“I couldn’t tell whether it was reality or not because I was in such disbelief this could happen on a live television segment,” he told CNN, recalling the “utter disgust” he felt.
Pearce identified the anchors as Clare Huddleston and forecaster Mickey Ferguson, who he blasted for their “unacceptable lack of awareness” about the deep racial undertones of throwing a banana at a Black man.
“Quite frankly, I’m having a hard time understanding how someone could work in the media field and not know that this is offensive,” he said in the video. “Whether [their] disrespect was intentional or not, it does not lessen the damage that was caused.”
Pearce said he was down on himself for not speaking up sooner, but said he ceased to be silent after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, which sparked nationwide protests against police brutality.
In February, Pearce said the FOX affiliate suggested he be the one to contact them so the station could apologize. The basketball player had asked WBRC for an on-air apology from the anchors, but it never happened, the Associated Press reported.
WBRC news director Shannon Isbell recently sat down with Pearce for an on-air interview, in which she apologized. The segment aired Aug. 14, nearly seven months after the incident.
“In a moment of levity during a segment, two members of my team were tossing fruit as well as a basketball,” Isbell said during the show. “One of them threw a banana without knowing the racial implications of that action.”
“I want the apology to be public because what happened was in public,” she added. “I want you to know how very sorry I am ... about you being embarrassed about you being made to feel unwelcome. That is never our intention.”
Pearce has said he was dissatisfied with the apology, however, especially after seeing that his historical explanation of why the banana stunt was so offensive had been edited from the segment.
“This is another example of how history has been carefully presented to favor and save face of the oppressor,” he said.
Pearce said he still has not received an apology from the anchors who threw the fruit.
McClatchy News reached out to WBRC-TV for comment and is awaiting response.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Alabama TV anchors throw banana at Harlem Globetrotter — and he wants an apology."