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The campus scoop.
Symone Abbott
PLAYING PAST PREJUDICE Athletes explore racial identity as minorities in their sport. BY DANIEL HERSH
22 | northbynorthwestern.com
race and inclusion on college campuses across the country. When Mizzou’s football team stood in solidarity with Black students and refused to play, protests involving racial discrimination distinctly wove their way into athletics. At Northwestern, athletics and protests mixed differently. Protesters wanting to stop the proposed reductions to the Black House interrupted the dedication of the new athletic facilities at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion. One of the biggest issues in this year’s ASG presidential election was the experience of marginalized groups on campus. But do these same conversations on race and inclusion follow athletes onto the playing fields? The four student athletes featured in this story do not represent the experiences of all student athletes of color. But their
stories demonstrate the stereotyping, discrimination and cultural barriers they’ve had to overcome to get to where they are today.
Symone Abbott
Volleyball Communication Sophomore Everyone wanted Symone Abbott to play basketball. From her dad to her gym teacher, everyone assumed a tall, athletic Black girl would. Not volleyball. “[My dad] was like, ‘It’s in your culture. I played basketball, your mom played basketball, you should be playing basketball,’” Abbott says. The pressure started early in fifth grade gym class, when students chose basketball, floor hockey, juggling and more. Abbott
PHOTOS BY MIA ZANZUCCHI
Athletic development starts at a young age. Offensive lineman Ian Park was six when he started playing. Nandi Mehta started travel soccer in seventh grade. Symone Abbott first picked up a volleyball at age 10. Brandon Medina was 5 years old when he stepped onto a soccer field. For these four Northwestern students, racial prejudice influenced their lives as athletes; however, most of the racial and cultural obstacles they faced took place in their childhood, before they arrived at college. At Northwestern, the narrative has become more nuanced. These athletes experience race uniquely as one of, or the only, member of their race on their respective team. Protests at the University of Missouri this past fall sparked conversations about
