Resilience Beyond the Diamond

When I think of Black Heritage Month, I think of the love and greatness shown around our culture. We reflect on the sacrifices made by those in our past that have allowed our generation to succeed as we strive to make it better for the next. While it is great to see so many spend the month celebrating the great impact that our culture has made across the world, there is still much more progress to be made as we must strive to more consistently show that same deep respect year-round.

Growing up I can vividly remember moments in high school history classes when the teacher would ask questions or discuss the civil rights movement and slavery, looking to myself and other black students for the answers, as if they expected us to know the answer to every question. Whether intentional or not, by the time I got to high school I was more aware of these type of biases than I was as a young girl who participated in competitive cheer.

Part of being a competitive cheerleader means many different hairstyles for performances, oftentimes requiring my mom to attempt to straighten my hair to match the other girls. I would always get so mad at my mom because while everyone else’s hair was straight, I felt left out, different, and in my mind, stuck out from the rest with my naturally curly hair. I would compare myself to the others each time until that moment when I finally started to love my curls.

I would have people come up and ask if my hair was real or natural, then they would be shocked or surprised because my hair type went against their preconceptions of what black hair is supposed to look like. Even at a young age, this hurt but also brought me back to the core beliefs that my mom instilled in me which was the ability to embrace and love every part of our culture, my hair included, helping me to learn, grow & cherish what makes me different.

I continued to lean on these beliefs as I got into softball, a predominantly white sport.

Growing up playing softball there wasn’t a lot of black girls on my team or the other teams that we competed against. I became accustomed to it being just me, and if I was lucky one or two other black girls that would take the field on a given day. Being young and naive, I didn’t realize some of the stereotypes or comments that were directed at me because of my skin color. The “you better win” in my direction as we lined up for timed races, a not-so-subtle remark towards black athleticism, only further increased my perceived failure when I didn’t win because of the added pressure of being the only colored girl.

As I weighed my options for college, I knew that while there weren’t a lot of black girls on the softball team, it never changed my decision in coming to USF. 

It was a big jump going from high school to college, which was only made more difficult as I spent my freshman year injured. Needing to focus on my mental health, I wasn’t fully involved in everything, but once I started to get back into things, I felt like I needed to connect with other athletes who are like me on a different level since I was the only black girl on my team at the time. That’s when I decided to join the Black Student-Athlete Council, which has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Going to our BSAC meetings I feel like I can talk about anything as they understand me on a deeper level because of our shared experiences.

I am proud to be a part of BSAC because it has helped me to see that there is so much that we can do with our platforms as student-athletes. If I can impact even just one young black girl by speaking up and putting my story out there, it will make all the difference. Ultimately, I hope that this can help in implementing more mentorship programs at elementary schools to show representation, an opportunity I wish I had been given. Being able to talk with and learn from someone like me at a young age could have made all the difference in the world & representation during those adolescent years is something that should be protected & cherished.

As we give the next generation those resources, tools and guidance, I hope they can see that while our world may not be perfect, they can continue to move things forward while making a positive change for generations to come.

Whether it’s helping our entire community grow together as one, or simply breaking down a barrier for the next, I hope that we never hear about the little girl who didn’t step to the plate simply because she wasn’t part of the majority.

To the next generation, live your life to the fullest without wondering what may happen if you step outside your comfort zone just because you may act or look different than someone else. Speak your mind in those situations that bother you.

There are always going to be people who want to tear you down, who don’t want to see you succeed, who discriminate just because of the way you look. Be prepared for it and while it may be difficult at times, find solace in knowing that there are people out there ready to support you in any way that you may need.

To the little black girl who may have no one else that looks like you on your team, don’t be afraid because you may be on your own, be proud because you are the first.