An Ode to Amherst College's Black Athletes
By Jade Duval '22
CASCAC Group Operations Officer, English & French Double Major & Women's Basketball Team Member
As Black History Month comes to a close I want us to take a moment to think of the 28 days of February. Take a second to imagine the process of going through the 24 hours of each day just like you would for any other month. Then I want you to add in the red, green, and yellow flags you will see hung up in businesses and posted online. I want you to think about the knowledge you gained about Black people's accomplishments during the past 28 days. Perhaps a tik tok stumbled across your phone that listed Ella Baker and Shirley Chisholm as influential Black women you may not know about. Or saw a James Baldwin quote, and looked at artwork by Black artists. It could have just been a graphic someone reposted on their insta story.
Now I want you to forget.
Black History Month is a wonderful time to support Black businesses and appreciate the work that Black activists have done and continue to do with the goal of equality in mind. But I ask now how easy it was for you to forget those 28 days? Being a Black person is not encapsulated in a calendar with each little box being checked off one by one as the days go by. It is 24/7 and then some, it can feel like being black transcends time itself.
This piece may feel like something to round out the month but instead let it serve as a little voice in the back of your mind so that you cannot forget that the 28 days of this month are just like every other. What is the difference between February, and March, and every month that follows?
Black history does not deserve a bubble, and neither do the people it represents. Today and everyday we must take a moment to reflect on the experiences of Black athletes at Amherst College. Feel their words instead of hearing them so they cannot slip out on the other side.
Hear their voices in the words that follow:
Black athletes have unspoken solidarity for one another. I am reminded of an interview of Issa Rae at the Emmys on the red carpet when she is asked who she is rooting for this year. "I'm rooting for everybody Black" she responds without hesitation. Black athletes at Amherst support each other behind the scenes. For every match, or race that is not attended we are still rooting for each other's success.
I must always perform at my best. You have to work twice as hard to get half as much.
"Everything comes at a cost, just what are you willing to pay for it? Serena Williams told me that.
Empowering. Blessed. What a great opportunity it is to play a sport that you love. Let us see the work you put in to get here. Let the hours of practice and competition come through in the passion you bring every day.
What if I'm Unsure how I feel? What if I am unsure of myself ? Sometimes there is no clear answer, just a path forward.
Pressure. It builds up in my chest sometimes until it feels like it could suffocate me, but my mother taught me not to scream and hone my feelings to fuel my power. I am allowed to have rage.
Going against the odds. I am glad you arrived. I hope you find a home here. I hope you continue to break barriers. I hope there is a breath of fresh air on the other side.
Let the periods between the words that follow be the distinctions between the individuals that inspired them. While there is a collective community Black athletes have at this college, each individual has their own experience and should be appreciated apart from the whole.
What is it like to be a Black athlete at Amherst College?
Empowering. Pressure. Unsure. Going against the odds. Suffocating. Blessed. I must always perform at my best. Solidarity with other Black athletes.
