UAA Conversations About Race and Racism: Now-Allah James

April 8, 2021

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Now-Allah James has been the only head coach of the NYU softball team since it became a varsity program in the 2014-15 season. In the four seasons before COVID-19 shut down the Violets’ season after eight games, he led the team to three 20+ win seasons (with 19 victories in the other year), three ECAC semifinal appearances, and one ECAC Metro Softball Championship title. In 2019, James guided the Violets to a 20-13 mark, including a pair of wins over NCAA Division III championship runner-up Emory University.

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.

Overcoming Lack of Resources

“I grew up in Brooklyn and when I was in high school in the 1990s, we were using an economics book written in 1956. The SAT and ACT standardized tests used totally different terminology than what we were taught. We automatically started behind the eight-ball compared to those in suburban schools. We had great teachers, but they didn’t have the resources to get us that far,” he explained. “At the time, the schools were still zoned like they had been in the 1950s and 1960s. I went to one of the better schools, but it wasn’t anything close to what the suburban schools were like.”

His high school was predominantly Black, but he would transition into a completely different atmosphere in college. “I had a totally opposite experience in college (at Pace University). I was the only Black student in most of my classrooms, one of a handful I knew of on campus before the university began to become more diverse,” he described. “I think understanding and experiencing both circumstances helped me in shaping my goals. At the same time, it made me think that I cannot fail in anything I do. If I failed, it would take the next opportunity away from someone else who looks like me. For me and many Black people, failure is simply not an option. I feel like I cannot have an off day.”

James feels pressure to exceed intrinsically and extrinsically. “I am an overachiever and hard worker because I know I can’t fail. That means a lot of nights without a lot of sleep, but I have been given an opportunity that inherently has pressure. I have the additional pressure of not wanting to prevent someone else who looks like me from getting chances that are few and far between in the athletic coaching realm,” he remarked.

Misconceptions

“It is important to notice how people describe African American athletes. It typically revolves around being athletic, running fast, and jumping high. There is an automatic assumption that Black athletes have those traits, disregarding their hard work,” he commented. “When it comes to coaching, there are people who assume I don’t work as hard. I go through the same issues any other coach does. The job is still the same. There are people who don’t think I am as educated as I am in spite of my master’s degree. It is almost like they are surprised when an African American person speaks well or is so educated. Pointing out that a Black person speaks so well is a microaggression that the person saying it may not understand.”

James notes that many people make assumptions about him based on where he grew up. “I am from the inner city, but I am not a statistic. My mom always preached education and that sports could be used to better myself and help my family. I want to be a role model showing that no matter what hurdles you face, you can get through,” he indicated. “Often times when people first see me or meet me, they act or talk a certain way based on their misconceptions about how I will speak or act. The biggest thing for me in my career was trying to get to the stage of an interview — to get in front of employers face to face.”

He points out that the name Now-Allah and being a softball coach add more layers to people’s preconceived notions about him. “People see that name and my photo, and they wonder if I am Islamic or Muslim as well. I am a spiritual person, but seeing my name, people tend to react a certain way. I don’t get as many opportunities as someone with another name may. Potential employers may have a tendency to go right past my name rather than looking at my full body of work and getting a true sense of who I am,” he supposed. “There is also an assumption that a Black man going into coaching is more likely to be interested in football (a sport he played at Pace) or baseball instead of softball. There are fewer than 20 Black softball coaches in each NCAA division, including one among Power Five conferences. There are a lot of great ethnic minority coaches who are not being given opportunities.”

Challenges Coaching at a Predominantly White Institution

“There is not as much interest in softball in the inner cities as many of us would like there to be, but when others are spending $400 on bats and $300 on gloves, it can dissuade those without that kind of disposable income. We work with the inner-city programs, not only to open opportunities in softball, but in academics as well,” he reported. “For potential Black softball players, there are not currently enough people who look like them in the sport, playing or coaching. I have seen professional sports try to deal with systemic issues like the “Rooney Rule” in the NFL (a policy that requires National Football League teams to interview ethnic minority candidates for head coaching positions). I would like to see each person considered on their qualifications and what they have accomplished in spite of not having access to as many opportunities.”

James has high expectations of himself and his team, based on a combination of his own values and how he will be perceived. “I take pride when our team travels. We leave dugouts better than we find them and are respectful to everyone. We have a team that is very disciplined, works hard, plays hard, and enjoys what we do,” he stated. “At the same time, I feel I have to carry myself in a certain way that other coaches don’t have to. If I were to react the same as another coach, I would be judged differently. My leash is a lot shorter than theirs is. As a Black man. I am always cognizant of what my actions may mean for someone else. I always have to step back and think before I act. I have never been ejected from a game. Being a softball coach, I am also aware that the women coaches have many similar challenges to what I face in terms of how they are perceived.”

Open Dialogue

“What is most harmful is when people are not talking about what is going on in society and around them. People often try to pretend racial issues don’t exist, but they do, and acknowledging that is the first step in growing. People fighting against that are intent on resisting change,” he remarked. “I would like people to understand what I deal with on a daily basis, just going to and from work. It is different for me than for those who don’t look like me. We are in the business of educating and that extends well beyond the classroom.”

He would like to see people not only willing, but also prepared for important conversations. “I am glad to see UAA schools having these conversations and proud of NYU that we are addressing these issues and providing resources for education. If we are not educating ourselves, then the conversations become pointless,” he regarded. “Educating, conversing, and then putting those things into practice is what will make change happen.”

Advice for Black Coaches

“Find the right mentors and have mentors from diverse backgrounds. I have people who are open and share their knowledge. The softball community is great in that sense. Other coaches share what they know and allow you to see their practices. I have found a lot of that. Reach out to those coaches and learn more about the game,” he recommended. “I would invite those young people of color who are new to the field or want to get into coaching to reach out to me. I can share some of the things I deal with and help them the best I can.”

He believes that every coach can help others by sharing their story. “Maybe hearing my story, regardless of your background or ethnicity, will help you overcome whatever hurdles you face. I enjoy making an impact in the softball community, helping young assistants and people who strive to be coaches,” he related. “I think anyone reaching out to ethnic minority coaches and learning about their hurdles will benefit in their own career. Another important piece of advice is to talk to administrators, who have their own stories to share about how they got where they are. One of the things we don’t talk to young people enough about is how to promote themselves as they seek any position in athletics. Those are the conversations we can have.”

“If you are a coach of color and you attend a convention or some event with a lot of coaches, it is important to seek out others who look like you. We understand what each other is going through, what it is like to be the only Black person, or one of very few, in the room,” James continued. “There is a comfortability and understanding that we are going through the same things. We have the same challenges and gain strength by sharing our experiences with others who can relate. It is crucial for the younger generation to see representation. How can we expect them to have the drive to pursue positions in coaching or athletic administration if they don’t see anyone who looks like them? There are a lot of athletes who look like them, but they can aspire to be anything. I wish we had that same representation on Wall Street.”

Role of Allies and Teams

“No matter what the composition of your team is, if your coach is not talking about race and the events that we all see happening, you should be concerned. They aren’t looking at the world as we are seeing it and aren’t willing to without having those conversations,” he denoted. “We have had those conversations on our team, but one of the most rewarding things has been when the student-athletes reach out and ask how I am doing. That allows them to see the human side of me. These things affect me even if I don’t show it to them.”

For allies, he believes education must come first. “You cannot help someone unless you understand what someone is actually feeling. It is hard to voice the changes that are necessary without experiencing it or seeing it in any way, shape, or form,” he elucidated. “We need to have conversations examining the different rules and laws we have, and how those impact people differently. These things are built into the system and we often don’t realize it until we learn the story behind them.”

James relates the educational concept to sports. “We always tell our student-athletes that when you stop learning, you stop getting better. We have to live our lives that way as well. We have to keep learning to get better every day. We can learn from sports, but we need to expand the knowledge we gain beyond sports,” he said. “You have more conversations with teammates than you would with most people. Teams should talk about more than being an athlete and being a student. It needs to be a safe space where you can share ideas and beliefs without being judged. Team is a family. Even on teams that may not be diverse, there will still be diverse views. You can learn so much from that. People come from different backgrounds and their experiences may differ, but you can grow together and learn from one another to be even more successful in all aspects of life.”

“We have had a lot of different ideas come up in our team conversations. These are people who are going to change the world. It is great to see that change is starting to happen because of young people,” he concluded. “They don’t see the world how we once saw it. They are future leaders who want the world to be the way they envision it. I think that is why we are seeing change. A lot of people leading the charge have been a part of teams and learned leadership in that context. Today’s student-athletes understand the impact they have. In a team atmosphere, everyone has a voice. They each have a role to achieve a certain goal. That is true with teams and in life.”