Abayomi Awoyomi is a sophomore jumper in the Washington University’s track and field program. The chemistry major competed in the indoor season as a freshman before the outdoor season was canceled due to COVID-19.
The UAA “Conversations About Race and Racism” series seeks to lift the voices of people of color and recognize the challenges faced in both athletics and academics at the collegiate level. By sharing personal stories, we hope to elevate the conversation about race to raise awareness and bring about change.
Academic and Athletic Stereotypes
“I have always been an overachiever. My parents pushed me to excel academically. I was at the top of my class and always got great grades from kindergarten to eighth grade at a public charter, even skipping the sixth grade,” Awoyomi recalled. “Then I got to private high school, which was very white, and you could count the number of Black people on one hand. A lot of people assumed I didn’t have the grades and I was twice falsely accused of plagiarism. I look back now and laugh. In that moment, I wasn’t giving any thought to race. I never thought people would question my ability and integrity.”
He didn’t let those questions detract him. “It only made me push harder. I didn’t want to stop,” remarked Awoyomi, who competed in soccer and track in high school. “The coaches were cool, but there was an older athletic trainer who said, ‘Everyone thinks they will be great, especially the Black kids.’ This is someone I would have to go to if I was injured so I just went to my own doctor to avoid interacting with her. A lot of my teammates would say racist things without warning. I was very close to quitting, but I wanted to persevere. It resonates with me when people say they won’t back down.”
Being a chemistry major in college, he has suffered direct and indirect microaggressions. “Sometimes it’s a subtle question like, ‘What’s your major again?’ but other times it is more overt like ‘What are you doing here?’ Often, our intellect as Black people doesn’t get recognized,” Awoyomi commented. “That is just how people have been taught to think about non-whites. I have had a couple professors say they weren’t expecting me to take such a liking to their class. It is not acceptable, but something I have to bear.”
Awoyomi finds the stereotype of the great Black athlete as troubling. “The common stereotype is that we are more athletic, superhuman, and if you are a Black man, you must be good at basketball and football,” he described. “I know the kind of training, practicing, and exercise that I have had to do to succeed in athletics, not to mention the mental aspect. We are all human beings. When you start to see a group of people as superhuman, you take away their humanity and attribute their abilities inappropriately.”
Being a Black Student-Athlete at a Predominantly White Institution
“Aside from the student-athlete strain of staying on top of everything academically and athletically, which is a lot, I find people are shocked that I am on the track team, that I can multitask. Would you be surprised if I were a white person?” he asked. “Being at track meets, I look around and see a lot of Black people, which is comforting, but also alarming that others see it as an innate ability rather than as hard work.”
It is subtle stereotypes in which he finds people don’t understand how hurtful their words can be. “People see me as naturally gifted or think that I don’t even need to try as a Black hurdler. The best women hurdlers in the UAA are Black. I have no idea how much harder it is to have the additional aspect of being a woman with all the other stereotypes,” Awoyomi expressed. “When people find out I am Nigerian, they make jokes about how ‘All you guys do is run.’ That is incredibly damaging and because it is so subtle, it is harder to address.”
Advice for Student-Athletes of Color
“The initial response is to keep your head down and persevere, telling yourself, ‘You got this!’ That positive mindset is not as easy as it sounds. We are told if you work hard, it will all work out, and that is the end of the story. In reality, it is a lot harder when good mental health and mental stability are difficult to come by,” he communicated. “Now I would tell people that they don’t have to deal with mental health issues alone. Whether you know it or not, there are resources for you to express your feelings about racism and your mental health related to racism. Reach out to your friends individually or as a group. You have help.”
He finds it critical to reach out to others. “If you have the mindset, ‘I am going to push through this,” you will eventually push yourself to the breaking point,” he articulated. “Then you will be saying, ‘Why is this happening to me/ Why am I breaking down now?”
Awoyomi has found WashU group chats to be helpful. “The appropriate people will add you to subgroups. There is a Black track and field group and it doesn’t matter what events you compete in. That extra interaction allows us to be closer on and off the field,” he stated. “I don’t feel as close to non-Black people I hang out with.”
Unlearning Racism
“Change is discussed a lot, but it is super hard to change. We have systematically been programmed to accept a certain belief system that contributes to racism, homophobia, and sexism,” Awoyomi explained. “The answer to change is very meta. Allies need to unlearn what they have learned, the mindsets we have all been programmed to believe. Unlearning is crucial to moving forward. People can change, but you can’t be an effective ally to people you don’t understand and without realizing what part you play in the privileged system.”
To understand more about unlearning racism, visit Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist Elizabeth Wellington’s piece on unlearning systemic racism
Awoyomi encourages allies to be more vocal. “A lot of times, I find myself being quiet and dealing with things myself, which is damaging down the road. I could have benefitted from having an ally speak up, not for me, but in support of me,” he expressed. “People often only pay attention to the exterior and don’t think about our feelings. We have a lot going on and a lot of us involved in Black Lives Matter are tired of explaining why we feel the way we do.”
Work in the Black Community
“My dad says charity begins at home. Everything begins at home. We need to listen to what Black women are saying about sexism and men not standing up for women. That is part of the trauma they are undergoing,” he said. “We have to start in our own little circles. Would we rather have Black women who are our friends and family telling us their feelings or a Black woman who doesn’t know you? It has been a learning process for me to stand up more for Black women, Black queer and nonbinary folks.”
There are also issues to tackle between different Black communities. “There are Nigerian migrants who consider themselves better than U.S. Black people. A lot of people in my parents’ generation believe that U.S. Black people should not be complaining, but they don’t know the history,” Awoyomi divulged. “I am not an expert. I am still learning. It is important once you know you are doing something wrong to stop it. It is difficult for everyone to be aware and change behavior.”
Role of Teams and Teammates
“WashU is known as very progressive, which is true. I do find that people are getting called out when they need to be, but some people will still laugh at a racist joke or be silent. Fortunately, the athletic community is very supportive,” he remarked. “Head coach (Jeff) Stiles says that everyone should listen and learn, and keep an open mind. It is important that Black student-athletes are being listened to.”
Like aforementioned subtle racism in conversations, it can also happen without words. “We had a meet in Wisconsin and I had corn rows, which I usually don’t. I woke up the morning of the meet and took them out. When you take corn rows out, your hair looks like it was in corn rows, but it is out,” Awoyomi described. “People were giving me weird looks all day. It reminded me of how people are fascinated with Black women’s hair. We learned in kindergarten that when something is not yours, it is not yours to touch. It is damaging to deal with explaining that to people and telling them they don’t have permission to touch your hair.”
“We are always talking about the mantra that you should know everyone on their own and by their own story. Not a lot of people stand by that, though some do,” he explained. “It is very important that even though our struggle is collective, we have all experienced different things.”