By: Dakayla Hawkins
"Every month to me is black history month", says Lions star senior guard Justin Wright.
February is Black History Month, which means these 28 days (29 this year) are a time to highlight and hone in on what we must celebrate and recognize within the black community. There is specifically an importance when it comes to uplifting the voices of black student-athletes.
To truly capture what it means to be black and have sports and academics be at the forefront of what you do every day, we asked a few athletes their thoughts.
Wright has the work that historic black figures did in the back of his head as he sets out each day to work at his goals, "There's this quote that I put on my wall that helps me through basketball, it was quoted by Malcolm X, it's 'a man who stands for nothing will fall for everything,'" said Wright.
LMU Lions Baseball star Khadim Diaw has thoughts on what Black History Month means to him. He says it is, "A month to celebrate and recognize the hard work of past and current African Americans who have helped positively influence the United States and all the communities within the country."
Major League Baseball is a diverse league, but an annual study about diversity in the MLB revealed that at the start of the 2023 season, players that identify as black or African American make up only 6.2% of players on rosters.
Although there still needs to be work done to improve the hiring and recruiting of Black players, there have been tremendous steps taken by Black players in the past. "Jackie Robinson is an African American baseball player who I look up to. His efforts to break the color barrier in baseball allowed for opportunities such as playing professional baseball for the black community." Diaw on someone within the black community that he looks to for inspiration. Diaw goes on to say, "He is a revolutionary in the sport and through his actions not only did he create change, but he reinforced the idea that you can do anything you put your mind to."
Senior guard for the LMU women's basketball team Soufia Inoussa, who is from Stockholm, Sweden, had an interesting perspective of an international student who finds great meaning in Black History Month.
When speaking on how black history and basketball have intersected from her personal experience, Inoussa said, "I would say in sports there's a lot of success … with black people and black athletes, and I think that's important because we don't have a lot in other areas, or in other rooms we might not have as much success or opportunity and I feel like sports has just been serving as an outlet for a lot of black people."
Thoughts such as Inoussa's above are widely shared, as there is no language or cultural barrier in the sport that she works at every day. Sharing a uniform with teammates from all over the U.S. and the rest of the world that now feels like a family exemplifies the power of sports.
Forward on the Lions men's soccer team, Jayden Bassong shares what Black History Month means to him. "Black History Month is a celebration of the contributions and achievements of African Americans in order to create the society that we live in today." For me, it is especially important because I have attended PWIs (predominately white institutions) for as long as I can remember, which would not have been possible without the sacrifices made by leaders in the past. It serves as a reminder of the efforts put forth and still needed to create and maintain a more inclusive society."
To Bassong's point, constant work needs to be done to advance opportunities for African Americans to get in doors that historically have been closed.
Family and sacrifice were trends among these student-athletes as they reflected on their experiences. Inoussa and Bassong each spoke about how much they know their families had to do to get them where they are today. It was a team effort. These student-athletes have recognized what has given them the motivation they exude, not only during this month but far beyond.
