Lawrence Rowley is a senior basketball student-athlete at Emory University. He was named the UAA Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20. An economics major, Rowley recently served as one of two student-athletes on Emory’s search committee for a new athletic director.
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.
Spring and Summer 2020
“The violence against Black people that made national and international news earlier this year made me see that a lot of people, whether they are willing to change or not, were having conversations about these issues for the first time. I realized a lot of people are uneducated about racial justice or don’t even understand how they developed their beliefs,” Rowley remarked. “It made me aware of how important it is to have these conversations. It has gone so long without these things being in the forefront of many people’s minds.”
Encouraged by the increased frequency of the dialogue around race, he knows there is much to be done. “It is good to see many people who want to make a change, but it will require a lot more work than I thought and likely others thought as well,” he commented. “It is not so much that people don’t want to see change or aren’t willing to work toward that change. For many of them, it is the first time they have been part of these discussions.”
More Than a Basketball Player
“Even at a very young age, I was interested in a lot of different things. I have always been very into music, playing instruments, and enjoying multiple things outside of basketball. I recall some Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teammates making fun of me a little bit after finding out I loved playing the piano and singing. As a 6’-5” Black male who can do those things, I can joke about it and be given a hard time, but at the same time, those things do weigh on me after a while,” he disclosed.
Based on his height and athletic build, Rowley understands that people may think he plays sports. “I often get asked if I play basketball, but I carry with me that I feel people assume I am only an athlete. Don’t assume that I got into a great university because of basketball. I highly value my education,” he described. “Although I know not everyone is projecting a stereotype on me, it is embedded in my mind that people see me that way and there is a lot of pressure inherent in proving that I am a well-rounded person.”
Challenges at a Predominantly White Institution
“As I am having these important conversations about racial justice, I have spent a great deal of time with other Black people not on my team. There is a closeness and a connection because there are so few of us on campus. The majority of administrators and student-athletes are white so there is a sense I am representing my entire race. There is always that sense that what I do reflects more on my race than it does for white people,” he admitted. “I have spent a lot of time with white people at Emory and am often the only Black person in the room. Yet I have heard the uneasiness white people speak about if they were in the rare case of being the only white person in any situation.”
Being the only Black person, or one of very few, is a common experience for Rowley. “The majority of places I go in life are predominantly white. Navigating that whiteness is an everyday thing. It is something you get used to, but a white person almost never experiences that and when they do, they see how uncomfortable that can be,” he narrated. “A lot of people have never had these uncomfortable situations because they don’t have to. Almost anywhere you go at Emory, there will be a majority of white people, surrounded by people who look like them. I walk into classes where I am the only Black person and that makes me feel a certain way.”
Advice for Student-Athletes of Color
“Help each other, reach out to one another. A lot of the conversations in the past several months have been around heavy and uncomfortable topics. It is very powerful to be able to talk with other non-white people to share feelings and ideas,” Rowley advised. “I did an internship over the summer where we talked about racial issues and we could choose different breakout groups. I chose a group of 10-15 Black men and we talked about tough conversations we have been having and how everything going on has affected our mental health. The guys in the group had very different perspectives and ideas. Though it is important to raise awareness for those who are not people of color, it is just as important, if not more so, to reach out and be there for one another.”
He also acknowledges how important it is to spend time not discussing difficult topics. “Some of the conversations in our breakout group were about what to do in different spaces, but a lot of others were about how people were feeling in these stressful times between the racial violence and the pandemic,” he recorded. “People asked what others were doing to take their minds off everything going on. It is important to worry about your own mental health and to take inventory of how things are affecting you. When everything first happened, I was waking up thinking and talking about racial justice. I was seeing a wave of triggers on social media. It is important to step back and make sure you are healthy. Find the right balance between fighting these issues, spreading awareness, and not allowing yourself to be completely weighed down by the events of the country.”
Role of Allies
“One thing I have noticed is that people immediately try to prove they are not racist to me or to someone else. That becomes more of their focus than actually wanting to fix or address issues. It is more of, ‘What can I do to get this off my chest? I say one thing and I’m good for the day.’ That makes them feel better, but it is frustrating to me that they don’t even understand they are doing that,” Rowley explained. “Wanting to change systemic problems is different than clearing your own conscience. While it is a step in the right direction to have those conversations rather than not, it is a problem to not go beyond that.”
Rowley believes being open to learning is key to being an effective ally. “A lot of times people are unsure of what is appropriate to say or do. Be willing to learn and listen. A lot of important conversations are avoided because people are uncomfortable asking questions or simply not listening,” he stated. “There are also different conversations that are appropriate with people you are close to versus people you are not. Don’t just drop questions in the lap of a person of color who you don’t have any relationship with. Powerful conversations with white teammates who are asking important questions and really want to know how to help are very different because we already have a bond.”
While he emphasizes the importance of allies listening, he makes it clear there are times to speak up. “There is a ‘Black at Emory’ account on Instagram noting countless times that people said something they shouldn’t have, but others in the room have let it go. Take the courage to get out of your comfort zone and call someone out for saying something racist,” he recommended.
Role of Teammates and Teams
“I have heard people who are very close to me (teammates and friends) say things that are over the line. When those things are said, we really don’t address the issue, but it is more of, ‘You shouldn’t say that’ and everyone moves on with their days. That is not necessarily going to change behavior,” he acknowledged. “Most people wouldn’t say something if they thought it was offensive, so we can’t brush it off like it doesn’t matter. It is important for the culture of the team to actually address the underlying issues.”
Rowley hopes that recent events will show the importance of talking about race. “As student-athletes, we recognize the value of multiple things in and out of the classroom. Extra-curricular activities are seen as positives, but I don’t think learning about the impact of racism has been given the same value,” he asserted. “People are not oblivious to race or thinking that it has no impact, but social justice and race have been on the back burner. Now we are seeing things done, but what about the student-athletes of color before us? We had people like (former Emory men’s basketball student-athlete) ‘G’ (Gebereal) Baitey working hard to make these things relevant to everyone here, but it took what happened earlier this year to bring about changes and support.”
Role of Head Coach
“One of the hardest things is that every team is so different. What happens when a team has no Black athletes versus a team like mine? We had a team Zoom call where guys shared experiences from perspectives that those who are not people of color could not share,” he described. “Different teams can do different things. We thought it was important to share those experiences, but if there is only one Black athlete on the team or none, how much does the coach need to facilitate the conversation? It is critical for the coach to explain how important these things are, but it becomes more difficult for the coach of an all-white team.”
Rowley has seen how important a head coach’s leadership can be around these issues. “Your coach has your respect and most of the time, they have complete control, so you have to do things their way. Coach Z (Emory head coach Jason Zimmerman) set up our Zoom calls because he recognized how important it was to have us discuss this as a team. At the same time, there is only so much any white coach can do in these conversations. It is up to the players on the team,” he remarked. “It is important for coaches to get out of their comfort zone. They can help make sure the conversations are happening, but it is hard for them too as they don’t want to control the content.”