Today, February 28, 2024, I attended an event called “African American Sport and Civil Rights”. This was held in Park Center Hall of Fame Room 1118 and led by Professor Susan Rayl. During her presentation and lecture, she discussed several African Americans since the Civil War, who not only were distinguished athletes, but also those who challenged the racial system and tried to create better for not only themselves, but everyone around. She included athletes of both male and female, as well as their stories, hardships, and what they did to change the status quo developed in earlier years. Some of these athletes include, but are not limited to, Isaac Murphy, a jockey, Tidye Pickett, a track athlete, and Jackie Robinson, a baseball player. All of these people have clearly demonstrated the struggles of being an African American in the 1900’s, during a time of segregation and discrimination, but what many of us don’t realize is that they helped pave a way for others to pursue their dreams. But they also helped to change the world outside of sports as they pushed for equality and showed just how similar they are to the white Americans who were prioritized over everyone.
One person I would like to highlight from this event is Tidye Pickett. Pickett was an American track and field athlete who ran the 80-meter hurdles. She had qualified for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932 but was unable to compete due to the color of her skin. She was forced to sit and watch. But, in 1936, she qualified yet again for the Olympics, this time held in Berlin, Germany. Here, she became the first African American woman to compete in the Olympic Games, while also being an inspiration to others to follow their dreams no matter who tries to stop them.
Although being a former athlete myself, I have never truly inquired about how interracial sports came to be. I have found this presentation to be very insightful as I have learned the stories of many that helped create the world of sports as it is today. I also believe we can relate this topic to our course. We are taught about the many who came before us and inspired the work of literature in the colored community. We can relate it to the topic of Civil Rights as these athletes pushed for more when they were not given anything. I believe “A Raisin in the Sun” deals with a similar story. The Youngers are an African American family who move into a white neighborhood. They are subjected to a form of racism as the community attempts to shut down their dreams of moving to a better home. But they go against the wishes of others and move on to prove that they are worthy of living in such an area. Both the Youngers and these African American athletes have pushed through the barrier of segregation and went on to prove that they too should be considered as an equal, not an object that can be thrown down.
