Jessica Morales is a sophomore fencer at Brandeis University with dual citizenship from the U.S. and Colombia. The biology major was named an honorable mention All-America selection by the United States Fencing Coaches Association in the sabre in her rookie season. Morales, a five-time UAA Fencer of the Week, earned a bronze medal at the Junior Pan Am Games in February, upsetting a top-ranked junior sabre fencer in the world.
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.
Dual Citizenship
“Whenever I tell people who know me that I fence for Colombia and have dual citizenship, they always ask when I became a citizen of the United States in spite of the fact that they know I have lived my whole life in Massachusetts,” Morales described. “Even when I say I am a naturalized U.S. citizen, I have been asked by teachers, peers, and others how I managed to arrive in the U.S. Having to repeat that I was born here multiple times gets tiring.”
She began fencing at a young age under the tutelage of her father, Cesar, who owns his own fencing facility in West Roxbury and has previously worked as an assistant coach at Brandeis. “I wrote my college essay on how fencing has shaped me as a person. During one of my important competitions, I was fencing against a Bulgarian fencer. I knew she had better results than I did, but that did not stop my determination to win,” she stated. “I realized quickly that certain touches were not being credited to me. I knew that being a Hispanic fencer competing against a European would have its difficulties, but after that bout, I promised myself I would stand up against biases so that referees and fencers knew my name.”
Colombian and Cuban Heritage
Her father grew up in Cuba and fenced there for 11 years., while her mother was born in Colombia. “When people realize I am Hispanic, but specifically Colombian and Cuban, they either make jokes about Pablo Escobar being one of the most notorious drug traffickers in Colombia and mentioning (revolutionary) Che Guevera or the Castros of Cuba,” she disclosed. “There are certain things I will converse with people about regarding those countries, but so many times people just make assumptions about me because my parents are from those countries. I hope that in the future, people will ask first and let me explain instead of assuming they know everything about me.”
Fortunately for Morales, she has found Brandeis a welcoming place. “I have not really personally experienced a setback for being a person of color at a predominantly white institution. Either no one has said anything to me or I have not registered it as a personal attack,” she remarked.
Advice for Student-Athletes of Color
“One piece of advice I would give is to focus on something that makes you feel proud of yourself for being in your sport. Try not to focus on the fact that you are the only person of color on your team or you risk falling into a spiral of negativity which will be hard to crawl out of,” she recommended. “Focus on how you are special for making it as far as you wanted to. If someone wants to say hurtful words to you, remind yourself that you are just as successful as everyone else. No one can hold you back if you keep your head up high and believe in yourself.”
Morales would like to see more people of color on sports teams, but not simply for the color of their skin, but for the opportunity to develop their ability. “An important thing is for allies to have conversations with their teammates of color to discuss things that may make both people uncomfortable, but will clear the air and bring the athletes closer together. There is nothing wrong with wanting to acquire more knowledge.”
Role of Teams and Teammates
“It is never helpful to say that a certain athlete is better because of the color of their skin or that they were put on the team for the color of their skin. It is helpful to not talk about a teammate based solely on the color of their skin, but as a whole person,” she communicated. “So many times, I witness conversations about racism where athletes are only mentioned by the color of their skin, not about who they are and how far they have made it. Only when we move past the need to divide athletes based on skin color when mentioning their accomplishments can we created a unified team.”
Morales believes it is critical for the head coach to tackle racism head-on. “The head coach is there to watch and listen to those who call out racism. They should not push racist events under the rug just because the accused athlete may be the best and will bring the team to the post-season,” she expressed. “There should be no hierarchy to immunity when it comes to harm between teammates.”