Hokie Club
Although classes had yet to begin for the spring semester, a group of Virginia Tech student-athletes took advantage of an out-of-the-classroom learning opportunity. On January 6, 14 student-athletes and staff participated in the 2021 Black Student-Athlete Summit hosted by the Heman Sweatt Center for Black Males at the University of Texas at Austin. This year marked the eighth annual Black Student-Athlete Summit, an event created to bring together Black student-athletes and the staff and administrators who support them in order to focus on the unique needs of Black student-athletes. This three-day event, historically held at the University of Texas at Austin, was offered in a virtual format due to COVID-19. This is the first year Tech student-athletes and staff have participated in this event, which included over 1,300 attendees.
"Last summer shed light on many racial and social injustices throughout our country," said Senior Associate Athletics Director of Student-Athlete Development and Senior Woman Administrator Reyna Gilbert-Lowry. "It's up to us not only to provide opportunities for student-athletes to share their voices, but also to educate and empower them when speaking out on issues of social justice. The Black Student-Athlete Summit was a great opportunity for our Black student-athletes to connect with other student-athletes who share similar experiences and learn how to become more effective leaders on campus."
This year's theme "The Black Student-Athlete: Woke! Now What?" brought together thought leaders and professionals to lead discussion around the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, health inequities exposed through COVID-19 and student-athlete responses to social injustices that were highlighted in 2020. Presentations by graduate students and Ph.D. candidates also highlighted research around social activism and suggestions for athletic departments to address and enhance the Black student-athlete experience. This year's event also offered a leadership certificate for student-athletes.
Tech's student-athlete contingent included Taylor Bryan (women's soccer), Matthias Cannon (men's cross country & track and field), Khalil Dover (men's soccer), Matt Johnson (football), Jonathan Kabongo (men's basketball), Dave Whitfield (men's cross country & track and field), and Kai Young (volleyball).
"I was mainly interested because when I go back to Tech, even just being on the soccer team alone, I'm going to be the only Black female on the team," said Bryan. I feel like me joining the Summit would kind of open up my eyes a little bit and educate me more on why what's going on is going on now and how it could change."
"I decided to attend the event because I mainly just wanted to change my perspective, and just to get a different view on things," Dover said. "One of the main things I took away was how they emphasized higher education and also, the culture in athletics. I was able to see people who can see outside of the tunnel vision and see into the programs, and see into the issues. By me going to the program, I was able to shift how I view things in athletics."
Staff in attendance included Ahsaki Black (Senior Director, Business Services), Natalie Forbes (Senior Director, Student-Athlete Personal Development), Reyna Gilbert-Lowry (Senior Assoc. A.D. Student-Athlete Development/SWA), Felicia Jefferson (Assistant Director, SAASS), Sarah Lage (Associate Director, Student-Athlete Career Development), Samantha Stewart (Assistant A.D. Player Engagement, Football), and Alise Svihla (Associate Director, SAASS).
Athletic administrators were provided sessions designed to help them become strong allies with the student-athletes they serve, and included topics such as Managing Racial Tensions between Donors and Black Student-Athletes, Mental Health Considerations for African American Student-Athletes, and Black Student-Athlete Experience at a Predominantly White Institution.
"I attended the event in order to put myself in spaces where I could learn more about experiences of student-athletes," Forbes said. "Obviously, I'm a white female and I will never know what it's like to be a student-athlete of color because that's not my experience. But what I can do is learn more about how I can support all-student athletes, and student athletes of color specifically."
Samantha Stewart joined the football staff in November, and served on the diversity committee at her previous institution. "It was good to see how we have progressed, and what other people are doing to make sure their schools, departments, and coaching staffs are keeping the pressure on," Stewart said. "It was good to see other people's experiences. I thought the conference served as a really safe space for people of color to share their experiences and ask for allies to listen, help, and see how we can work together to move forward."
The group has already met once since the Summit to share their experiences and will continue to connect in order to discuss how to incorporate what they learned from the Summit into the department's current initiatives to support Black student-athletes at Virginia Tech.