Marsha Harris is a colorectal surgery specialist who helped lead the NYU women’s basketball team to the NCAA championship in 1996-97, including scoring the winning basket with 1.5 seconds remaining in the title game. The two-time UAA Most Valuable Player surpassed 2,000 career points and was elected to the Violets’ Hall of Fame in 2004. Harris received the 1998 Walter Byers Award in recognition of being the NCAA’s top scholar-athlete.
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.
Inspired by Others’ Doubts
“Academically, my goal was always certain. I was going to be a doctor. In my second year at NYU, I was going to declare chemistry as my major. Without looking at my transcript, the counselor asked me why I would want to major in chemistry,” Harris recounted. “She continued discouraging me until she finally looked at my transcript and then her tone changed.”
That was a key experience for her advancement. “The assumption was already made that I could not make the grade based on my appearance. I thought to myself, ‘I will continue to prove people wrong by simply outperforming and outworking others,’” she stated.
She faced many other misconceptions along the way. “Generally, the assumptions were that I am aggressive (as is common with the ‘angry Black woman’ stereotype), that I grew up poor, and that I needed handouts to be successful,” she described. “Beyond that, people generalized that I was not smart, well-rounded, or that I lacked critical thinking skills.”
Challenges Away from NYU
“NYU had a very diverse community, so I did not face the isolation of being a Black student at a majority white institution the way many others do,” she noted. “However, playing in majority Caucasian environments presented challenges.”
She came up against discouraging events on and off the court. “The officiating was often uneven in the sense that opponents were allowed to be very physical, sometimes to the point of dirty play, while minimal contact by me was called a foul,” Harris recalled. “I remember watching the men play from the stands at Brandeis and hearing people call them monkeys and yell at them to ‘go back to Cambridge.’ I had to counsel myself to stay focused on the game no matter what they say or do.”
That trait of remaining focused is something she has consistently used to rise above racism. “I determined, regardless of a racist crowd or others doubting me, to succeed and overcome. Those things helped me to develop an ability to lock in and become unflappable,” she remarked.
A Different Time
“The climate of social justice now is far different than it was for me and my contemporaries. In the past, one would more likely suppress experiences of racism because more energy was spent on denying our experiences than finding solutions,” Harris pointed out. “The current climate provides opportunities for exploring racial situations and experiences. I believe current student-athletes of color should find a comfortable outlet to discuss acts and situations of societal and personal racism.”
She believes having these conversations with those who share similar experiences can have profound benefits. “Carrying the frustrations, hurt, and disappointments that accompany racism can wear one down, and limit one’s ability to reach their full potential,” she stated. “Racism can become a distraction to academic and athletic goals. Exposing systemic and individual racism allows those things to be addressed. It is critical to remember that corruption runs rampant in the dark.”
Role of Allies and Teammates
“I think racism is often viewed as a Black (or ethnic minority) problem. Allies are important because, as part of the majority, when they identify with the hurt, pain, frustration, and destruction that racism causes, they face accountability for acts against the minority,” she articulated. “This can help legitimize the experiences of people of color and move the dialogue toward reconciliation. Although there are intentional racists, there are some who are simply unaware that their behavior may be viewed as racist.”
Another thing Harris would like to see is people being themselves around Black people. “I think sometimes in an effort to meet you where you are, people express themselves in ways they think you will appreciate like speaking in ‘Ebonics’ (a colloquial term used to express African American English Vernacular) or using traditionally urban gesticulations,” she revealed. “Ultimately, what we want is to be communicated with the same way one would converse with someone of their same demographic.”
She believes teams are a great way for people to come to a greater understanding of one another. “If teammates are from majority white communities, they may come in with racist viewpoints learned in that culture. However, once given the opportunity to really get to know their minority teammates, they often become the greatest allies because they can now speak from experience,” she explained. “That minority is no longer a nebulous figure that they have no attachment to; he/she is now a human they can identify with. Ignorance of people is what breeds fear and then fear breeds racism. We all fear what we don’t know so we may generate false narratives in an effort to protect or elevate ourselves.”
Role of Head Coach
“The head coach may be a facilitator to conversations about race; however, he or she cannot be the moderator. This is about social dynamics. A safe forum for athletes to candidly discuss these issues should be provided. The coaching staff and players should be equals in this discussion,” she recommended. “Often the coaches are equally ignorant to issues of race and its effects on all facets of society. This should be a learning environment for everyone to understand each other.”
Harris stresses that it is not incumbent on ethnic minorities to run these conversations. “It again is not a minority problem so they should not be looked to as the one to resolve the issue. Reconciliation and redemption can only be reached through candid conversation based in love and a willingness to understand how racism impacts all of us,” she stated. “This will hopefully lead to lasting changes in social construct and the elimination of the imprint that racism has on the society at large.”