Jason Henshaw is in his second season as an assistant coach for the University of Rochester football program. An All-America defensive lineman at NCAA Division II Kutztown University, he served as captain in his senior season and helped lead the team to back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2010 and 2011. Henshaw spent six years as defensive line coach and junior varsity head coach at Widener University, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2014 NCAA Division III Football Championship.
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.
Culture Change
“Growing up in a diverse area (West Chester, Pa.), I was exposed to a lot of different races, nationalities, and religions,” Henshaw described. “Then I got to Kutztown and it was a mix of Black kids who had not been in school with white kids and rural white kids who had not been in school with Black kids. That was upsetting and a wake-up call that people’s experiences were so different from mine.”
He saw the program make important adjustments quickly. “Teammates would say harsh things, but that behavior was weeded out. I credit the coaches for making it a more inclusive environment,” he explained. “We started to win a lot of football games and those experiences were great. It was powerful to see how a program can transform and how great things can be when people understand and can empathize.”
The relationships he built then have remained strong over time. “Even now, 10 years later, we still talk to each other. Football has granted me a lot of things because I interact with people who did not have the same interests as me. The sport integrates a lot of different people and backgrounds to work together as one,” he remarked. “As coaches, we are leaders of young men. I have to think not only as a coach, but also as a Black man. We need to make sure we are there for other young men of color so they feel supported when there are things going on in the world like there are now.”
Henshaw sees a lot of positive things going on among coaches, particularly at Rochester. “We see a lot of coaches taking on the challenge of supporting student-athletes of color. Four years ago, I didn’t think having these discussions and having people willing to learn was possible. Now I don’t feel like I am going alone,” he communicated. “At UR, (Head Football) Coach (Chad) Martinovich is having great conversations. We are able to talk directly because of social media, where the reactions to seeing real, unfiltered events has been so raw, and by listening to the older generation serving as educators about the past.”
Misconceptions
Henshaw has consistently dealt with misconceptions based not only on race, but also on his size and appearance. “When I speak in public, people are shocked by how well I speak and articulate certain things. I try not to take much offense to it, though I did earn a degree in speech communication,” he related. “Being a bigger guy with a lot of facial hair, I am often seen as intimidating. When I enter a setting, I try to smile and put people at ease so they are not intimidated by my presence.”
One incident in his past coaching experience has stuck with him. “I grew dreadlocks for about five years. One coach told me to cut my dreads to look more professional, that Mike Tomlin and Tony Dungy don’t have dreads,” he recounted. “Why is being clean-shaven with a short haircut the standard of professionalism? It is a very common thing in coaching that Black coaches feel they have to dial down their Blackness. Other minority coaches I speak to feel that they cannot speak out for fear of losing their job. That pushes me to speak out.”
Upon arriving on the Rochester campus, Henshaw immediately felt emboldened. “Within the first hour or two, I witnessed the diversity in the university. It has actually helped me to embrace other parts of myself. Speaking on racial issues has been easy here because I knew I would be supported,” he expressed. “Coach (Martinovich) has been outstanding. Other staff members and the players have made it so comfortable for me to be myself. Coaches should be able to speak out about things that affect them and their players. How can you recruit someone and say you will treat them like a son in your program if you don’t grant them that freedom? It is not about politics, but about human rights, right and wrong. We are talking about saving lives and changing things for people to be treated equally.”
Advice for Other Black Coaches
“Ultimately, from what I have learned, be yourself. Don’t conform to what you think will be accepted,” Henshaw cautioned. “The best thing you can offer to a team and a camp is your experience as an ethnic minority and the way you have overcome struggles in your life. Share those things with your players. If you don’t struggle with anything, you won’t be successful. Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.”
“Players who have never dealt with adversity have struggled to be better players and better men,” he continued. “Coaches have a special way to relay a message that everyone understands. We have a place right now to help make the changes we are looking to make. Take that step into speaking out with these young people who are our future.”
Role of Allies
Henshaw encourages others to watch former National Football League player Emmanuel Acho’s “Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man” YouTube series. “He has really helped people understand how important it is to have discussions about race and how sports has a unique platform for sharing ideas with a diverse audience,” he stated. “Allies need to have uncomfortable conversations with friends and colleagues. The biggest challenge is with family members, in your inner circles, in your neighborhood. Don’t ignore things that are going on because they don’t pertain to you or seemingly affect you.”
He believes that being an ally comes with responsibility. “Continue to educate other white people. Don’t feel as though it is not your place,” he stressed. “You don’t want to overshadow Black voices, but as long as people are being educated, that is what is important. A lot of times people struggle with their role. A lot of young people are seeing their own power and talking to their parents about these issues.”
Role of Teams
“(Rochester Assistant) Coach (Randi) Moore relates having important conversations to a team’s offense. You know the goal is to score touchdowns but how do you accomplish that? You have to keep moving the chains,” Henshaw illustrated. “That is the best way for a lot of football players to understand how we move toward the goal of solving racism. Continue to move the chains, continue to have these conversations. When we do that, things become clearer in spaces where people previously may not have understood.”
He would like to see the normalization of racial discussions. “We have to be as comfortable talking about race as we are talking about sports. The conversations transform and evolve into other things, but it starts with those uncomfortable conversations,” he articulated. “We get sidetracked by other things. We have to get comfortable talking about these things in our group chats. Student-athletes have shared some podcasts and it is great to see that. What we are doing is making a difference. We may not know exactly what to do, but the only wrong thing is not doing something. If we ignore it, things will continue to escalate until something else needs to be addressed.”
He encourages his current and former teammates and coaches to ask questions. “Former players have shown me messages that they send out. When it comes from the heart, showing compassion and empathy, there is no wrong way to say it. It shows that you care,” he said. “We all have different perspectives and experiences.”
While much of the focus in the past several months has been on the Black community, Henshaw believes the message of equality is widespread. “The Muslim and Jewish communities, as well as other people of color, need to be listened to. We are all here to bring equality to all. That seems to be forgotten sometimes. No one should be an afterthought.”
WAWG: We All We Got
Henshaw and several of his longtime friends have created an organization called, “We All We Got,” which uses basketball to bring positive change in his hometown, providing positive environments and professional expertise through youth sports. “My friends and I have known each other since we were able to talk, more than 25 years. We all have different platforms we use,” explained Henshaw, who laughingly admits to being the least talented basketball player of the group. “The community has changed a lot over the years and we want to make sure we use what we have learned from our different paths to mentor young people.”
Sports is the entryway to the program, but the insights go beyond that. “The kids can see there are many opportunities for them to pursue. They get a better understanding of making choices that give them a positive outlook on their future and what they are capable of doing,” he explained. “We want to show them they can do the same things we did. My coaches were my father figures. Some young people don’t have positive male figures. We aren’t just about athletics, but also constructive projects that they feel passionate about.”