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Syracuse athletes marched together through the wind and snow on Wednesday with one message: Black athletes’ lives matter.

Teams walked together from the Skytop parking lot to Coyne Stadium in groups ranging from five softball players to nearly 20 track and field members. They wore black shirts that said “One Orange.” Some groups brought signs in support of the march.

“Wlax stands for equality, justice.” “Men’s rowing: equality and justice for ALL #BLM.”

In partnership with the Diversity and Inclusion Student-Athlete Board and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, more than 100 SU athletes gathered in three waves on Wednesday to march for equality in athletics for Black athletes, administrators, coaches and students at SU and around the country. Senior cheerleader and athlete board President A.J. Walker said both organizations have been organizing the past year to push for diversity and inclusion following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

Over 100 athletes participated in the march, including nine speakers who shared their personal experiences being Black. The speakers explained why they marched and commented on the recent guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering Floyd.

Prior to each set of speakers, Syracuse track and field alumnus Chevis Armstead sang “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem. The athletes stood shoulder to shoulder. Each time after the song ended, a brief hush of silence fell over the crowd before track and field’s Eunice Boateng said the One Orange Creed, a pledge to speak up and denounce racism that is said before every home game.

Chris Elmore, a senior offensive lineman and Chicago native said he was marching because of police brutality. Both his cousin and aunt, Elmore said, were killed by the police when he was a child.

“Growing up in Chicago, I experienced police brutality early because I fit the description — big Black male with tattoos and dreads,” Elmore said. “A regular traffic stop can end in a tragedy.”

Soccer player Aysia Cobb focused her speech on how implicit biases and systemic racism influenced her at her most impressionable age, around elementary school. As a child, she didn’t have any representation in the media. Because of this, she thought she couldn’t do anything where she didn’t see herself represented. “I didn’t look like that. How could I do that if I didn’t look like that?” She said.

As the time for the first wave was closing, track and field junior Jamil Adams tapped the person standing next to him and spontaneously walked to the stage. He threw off his jacket, revealing his One Orange T-shirt. The falling snow had begun to mix with rain. Adams didn’t care. He said he’d be fine with catching pneumonia.

“Today, I’m marching for unity, and I believe in unity,” Adams said. “Let’s no longer divide anymore, let’s promote each other’s differences.”

Will Fudge | Staff Photographer

The event was entirely student-run, and the march was the first of such an event organized by athletes without the help of administration. The Diversity and Inclusion Student-Athlete Board and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee wanted any outsider crossing the street, watching on cuse.com or driving by the marchers to understand that this event was “by student-athletes, for student-athletes.”

Grace Asch, a junior on the women’s rowing team, said the goal was for Black athletes to empower each other. That’s why only Black athletes spoke, although white athletes, such as women’s ice hockey’s Abby Moloughney, were able to volunteer with the march. But Asch also wanted the event to be used as an educational opportunity for white athletes.

Most speakers acknowledged the few number of Black students and athletes at Syracuse University. Men’s lacrosse’s Nate McPeak even said it was hard to be a Black goalie in a sport that “lacks diversity.” He said he’s been called a white man that’s gone Black, an Uncle Tom, “the word we’re all thinking of right now.”

After the march’s conclusion, Boateng became emotional. The true gravity of what just took place hadn’t hit her, Asch or Walker yet because they were so caught up in the present moment. But what the successful march demonstrated was that Black athletes have a voice, she said. It was a time to finally push people and let them know that the power they hold can effect change.

Will Fudge | Staff Photographer

McPeak carried on that optimistic sentiment in his speech. He said he refuses to believe his future children will go through the same things he has, that he refuses to accept his country can’t change. Upon returning to the men’s lacrosse pod, he hugged each one of his teammates, and head coach John Desko.

“I choose that each and every one of you would use their talents and use their skills to do things better in life,” McPeak said. “It inspires me to see you standing out here in the cold for change, and it means a lot.”

Boateng also mentioned that the timing of the march, coincided with Chauvin’s guilty verdict, was a great thing. She mentioned it was promising to see that the country was taking a step in the right direction. So did every other speaker. They showed their excitement, but cautioned that the guilty sentence didn’t mean the country had solved racism. There are still many more names out there that we can’t forget, McPeak said.

“This was meant to be, and like Grace said, this is bigger than we ever imagined. I think that we really are going to be able to push the ball forward doing this,” Boateng said.

Published on April 21, 2021 at 7:48 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt