Before co-founding Washington University’s first Black student-athlete group, neither Eka Jose nor Caira Watson-Haynes anticipated the leadership role they would take, but when they saw the need for the affinity group, they stepped up to make a difference not only with WU BLAC (Washington University’s Black Letterwinning Athlete Coalition), but throughout the University Athletic Association.
The track and field teammates admit they didn’t have a succession plan in place when they graduated together in 2021. “I only knew that Kam (men’s basketball student-athlete Kameron Mack) and Sam (women’s basketball student-athlete Samantha Weaver) would continue WU BLAC. I did wonder if the projects we began would continue because we didn’t have momentum, having just started it. When you start something, you don’t know what the next class will do,” Jose recognized.
One person who did not think they fit into a leadership role was current president Charis Riebe, who was finishing her first year at WashU and as a member of the track and field program. “I saw the executive board applications in the fall, but I was only a sophomore. Kam direct messaged me, asked if I had considered joining the executive board, and encouraged me to apply,” she recalled.
Becoming WU BLAC Co-Founders and Leaders
On May 25, 2020, the murder of George Floyd became a seminal moment across the world and would factor in University of Chicago football student-athlete Demetrius Johnson, Jr. forming the first BLAC organization in the UAA on June 2, 2020.
Being on the quarter system, UChicago was still in classes at that time, but none of the other UAA schools were. Not being on campus did not deter the WashU duo from moving forward. “Those of us on the track team had been having conversations with one another and past members of the team about some of our experiences being Black student-athletes at a predominantly white institution and the challenges with administration,” Watson-Haynes stated.
Being amid a global pandemic that had already forced cancelation of the 2020 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships and the entire outdoor season in the spring added another level of uncertainty. Jose wondered if she was one of the right people to be stepping up for Black student-athletes because of her Nigerian heritage. “I didn’t really know how I fit into a purely African-American community as I had mostly just been around other Nigerians. One fear I had was that because I come from a different background, our experiences may not be the same,” Jose explained.
One factor that encouraged Jose and Watson-Haynes to pursue starting the group was someone who got to WashU at the same time they did, the John M. Schael Director of Athletics Anthony J. Azama. “When Anthony started, he was upfront that whatever we needed, he wanted to help. Seeing someone Black in that position, traveling to our meets, and attending so many events, made us feel like we had the freedom to approach him even if we weren’t sure how he and the other administrators would respond,” Jose commented. The initial conversations about finding a way to support Black student-athletes found a receptive ear in Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Summer Hutcheson, who began her position at WashU in January 2019.
In the summer of 2020, Jose and Watson-Haynes crafted a letter to the athletic department with strong support of alumni of all backgrounds. “We figured, there is a problem, and no one is doing anything. It is uncomfortable to start something,” Jose recognized. “It became more of us realizing we needed to be leaders. We knew we had each other and others in the athletic department. It became, ‘Caira, are we going to fix this? If we don’t start it, who will?’”
“I wasn’t considering being a leader when we started the group, but that experience put leadership at the forefront of my mind,” remarked Watson-Haynes, who has taken on major roles while attending Duke University Law School, including serving as Black Law Students Association President. “All my current leadership activities came from the work I did with WU BLAC. Young people can have a stake in this kind of important work. Employers are looking to younger people and students with this type of leadership experience. Diversity work is an area that is evolving with the current political discourse, so it is a great way for young students to be listened to in board rooms.”
Jose echoed those sentiments. “Co-leading WU BLAC encouraged me to take on more leadership positions,” contributed Jose, who serves as co-president of the UCLA Medical School’s Student National Medical Association, which was formed when the American Medical Association did not accept non-white members. “I had the courage to enter that space and lead, which I wouldn’t have considered without the WashU experience. It has given me the personal confidence that if something needs to change, I can lead it. Before co-founding WU BLAC, I was shyer and timid, thinking no one would listen to what I would say. Now I look back and say, ‘We did that. We put this together and change started to happen because of us.’”
Their efforts did not go unnoticed by Azama and Hutcheson. “Eka and Caira were fierce competitors on the track, yet compassionate and thoughtful leaders. Through the tough times during the pandemic pause … and the long meetings, they started some really impactful initiatives. They were the right student-athlete leaders at the right time during COVID and beyond,” Azama expressed.
“Eka and Caira led the creation of WU BLAC in the midst of a turbulent time in our country and world, and they brought student-athletes together in a time when it was difficult to do that. They were thoughtful, patient, and driven as they were creating the vision and mission of WU BLAC and making it a reality,” Hutcheson commented. “I’m thankful to have been a part of that process, and to have had the opportunity to work with Eka, Caira, Kameron, Andrew Whitaker, Khylan Nevils-Reed, Samantha, Langston Laramore-Josey, Randal Walker, Tennyson Holmes, and all the other student-athletes who worked to make WU BLAC a reality.”
Riebe’s Rise to Leadership
“I never considered myself to be a leader. I am a very shy and quiet person until you get to know me. I didn’t go to social events or talk to many people. I just wanted to be involved in WU BLAC,” explained Riebe, who planned an event in April 2022 that gave her confidence she could take on a greater role than just being a member of the executive board. “I was already involved and wanted to see it grow. There was no plan after Kam and Sam. I told the three seniors on the executive board that I didn’t want to take the presidency from anyone who wanted it (so that seniors would have first dibs), but that if they weren’t ready to get work done to step aside and let me do it. Ace (Abayomi Awoyomi) wanted to be co-president, while the others did not.” She and Awoyomi served as co-presidents for 2022-23 before she took on the role solely this year.
“Working alongside Charis as co-president of WU BLAC was a transformative experience. She is an innovative leader in the community as well as on the track!” exclaimed Awoyomi.
Being a strong and vocal leader brings its own set of challenges, but Riebe has both initiated events and found a mentor in WashU Associate Head Track & Field Coach Ray Williams. “It isn’t easy for me to keep quiet when I see a need,” she admitted. “Fortunately, I have been able to talk to Coach Ray and have him walk me through some of the ways to face challenges.”
Williams sees that passion regularly. “Charis has a strong desire to be her best and is an intricate part of our team.” Riebe also relies on Watson-Haynes, who she became particularly close with based on competing in hurdles and being pre-law student-athletes. “I have regular calls with Caira, and she has helped me grow as a person and process my feelings better.”
Riebe believes her leadership role and the advice from mentors like Williams and Watson-Haynes has solidified her Nigerian American identity. “I have even been questioned about how it looks to have WU BLAC led by someone who is bi-racial,” vocalized Riebe. “Until someone else steps up, I am going to do it. I am so thankful this experience has given me Caira and seeing the legacy she and Eka left. I hope that people can see what I want for Black student-athletes and hopefully will do the same for others. WU BLAC is something I am passionate about and genuinely enjoy. It is great to come back from a tough day and be able to devote my energy to something I care deeply about.”
Legacy and Impact
Each of the three leaders saw their role reaching beyond the WashU athletic community. Jose and Watson-Haynes had conversations with those doing the same kind of work in different conferences, including the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), and with NCAA Division I student-athletes through the work of Athlete Talk founder Emmitt Gill.
WU BLAC was the first UAA school to develop an executive board for its Black student-athlete group and inspired others to do the same. Other schools, inspired by WU BLAC, started their own groups and all included executive boards. There was a domino effect after the start of WashU’s group with Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, New York University, and University of Rochester quickly following with their own Black student-athlete groups.
“Co-leading WU BLAC was one of the first times in my life when I started to think about being part of something that I wasn’t fully going to benefit from. I hadn’t been put in the position previously where I was thinking long-term about something I wasn’t going to be directly a part of,” Jose elucidated. “To see what WU BLAC has done is great. I don’t see it as something the next classes have that we didn’t have.”
Abayomi was one of the many Black student-athletes whose experience was enhanced by Jose’s leadership. “Being a member of a group led by Eka will forever be one of the most impactful moments of my track and field career,” Abayomi stated. “Eka is an exemplary person, a fearless leader, and an unparalleled athlete.”
One of the things Jose and Watson-Haynes did from the start was to engage Black student-athlete alums at WashU and throughout the UAA. They held a professional development webinar with professionals from across the UAA, all of whom had competed in the Association as student-athletes. “We wanted to make sure we weren’t just having a lot of meetings without actual programming. Part of our mission was to help student-athletes professionally and in the community, which including serving as mentors in local middle and high schools,” Jose said.
“We looked at what other organizations were doing, especially at the D1 level since that is where most of the Black student-athlete groups existed. We wanted to combine outreach and social outings to further our networking for our current student-athletes, particularly with WashU and UAA alums who knew what it was like to be a student-athlete at these types of institutions. We knew what we wanted and hoped others would value the same things,” Watson-Haynes commented.
“No matter what event you competed in, you could always feel Caira’s intensity and drive at any point, be it meet day or just a practice. Caira was a role model for everyone on the team in terms of excellence and passion,” Awoyomi contributed.
Riebe had a vision for connecting the various schools’ Black student-athlete groups across the UAA, particularly since this past fall marked the first time that all eight schools had active groups at the same time. “It was a chance to be proactive and come together. There are some things that affect all UAA Black student-athletes. We have common problems and can come together with common solutions,” she described.
Emory University track and field student-athlete Geoff PointDuJour, who co-founded Emory’s Black Student-Athlete Group (BSAG) after talking with Riebe at the 2022 UAA Indoor Track & Field Championship’s Black student-athlete dinner and currently serves as the organization’s president, reached out to her regarding connecting the UAA BLAC leaders. “We had been in contact a lot when he was starting the group at Emory. He brought me the idea of bringing together the leaders, and I reached out to everyone and started the group chat. Our thought process was that we can take this higher, so let’s make it bigger,” she stated.
The presidents of the UAA student-athlete of color groups now meet monthly virtually as UAA BLAC. “Our first Zoom call was 2-2½ hours long as we all discussed our successes and struggles,” Riebe remembered. “We have found in coming together that the needs at every school were similar. We have put things together UAA-wide for the spring to continue the momentum.”
“When I think of Charis, I think of a passionate and goal-driven leader. She is the one who takes initiative,” PointDuJour expressed. “Her strengths are effective communication and the ability to move plans from the planning process to execution.”
“It is nice to have that space to ourselves. Each individual organization may struggle with having enough energetic executive board members or student-athlete attendance, but this is eight passionate people coming together to make things better across the UAA. It is important to come together as leaders to find ways to bring about change,” Riebe added.
All three women encourage young Black student-athletes to become involved in their campus groups. Jose noted that 95 percent of medical schools she investigated asked how she would add diversity to the next class. Although the Supreme Court shot down specific diversity-driven decisions in admissions, Watson-Haynes points out there is still a way to make your experiences stand out for the diversity colleges, universities, and organizations of all types are still looking for. “It is a chance to show your identity, what it means to you, and how you can help bring racial diversity and leadership to these spaces. Being a part of the Black student-athlete groups has multiple benefits that will benefit you throughout your educational and professional experiences.”