In Her Own Words: Ayana Akli

The past couple of weeks you all have been exposed to the reality of police brutality that has targeted the Black community for far too long. And while it may be hard for some of you to comprehend, this is just an everyday look into our everyday lives. 

This is about a system of oppression and systemic racism which lies at the very foundation of this country’s origins. I went to a protest and a University of Maryland student who was speaking said that, “This country was built by me but not made for me.” 

Let that sink in!

From my experience this movement is not about looting or rioting. The media is misconstruing the situation and looting is a very small fraction of what has and is still occurring today. Those stores and material things can be replaced but the lives lost cannot.

This movement is also exposing the idea of privilege to people across this country -- many of whom don’t have to think about the everyday occurrences that affect people of color. 

• If you have never had to worry about a cop pulling you over and asking yourself “will I die today?”, then you are privileged! 
• If your parents have never had to have a conversation to explain to you why people may say hateful things towards you because of the color of your skin then you are privileged!
• If you have never been questioned walking into your own home then you are privileged!
• If you have never had to worry about your chances of dying in childbirth due to racial bias, then you are privileged!

We travel all the time to play tennis and being an African American female, I always have to check where we are going, and to see if I will feel safe there or wonder will my team protect me in certain situations? 

It is not just about blatant racism; it is also about the daily microaggressions we face as Black people. Being in a predominantly white sport, there is a double standard. I have to act better than everyone else. I have to be more polite. To even be looked at by college coaches I had to work three times harder to be seen as half as good as my counterparts. And these are not just my experiences, these are the same experiences as my friends and a lot of Black tennis players.

On more than one occasion, my doubles partner and I experienced multiple forms of discrimination such as: it was implied that the only reason we were winning was because the referee was Black, or telling us to calm down when we win a point but someone who isn’t a person of color can scream at the top of their lungs and not get a code violation. 

There was another instance when we were playing zonals, and we were only 14. At 14 we were getting called monkeys and that we were too dark and teams would come behind my friend’s court and shake rocks while she served. This is something that must change.

I should not have to be uncomfortable to play a sport I love. No one should. Being in a predominantly white major (civil engineering), these issues follow me into the classroom as well. I am regularly asked questions like, “Are sure you are in the right class?” or “Did you get in on affirmative action?”

Not only is it these questions geared toward my peers, it’s the actions as well. Speaking over us when we are trying to explain things or touching our hair without our permission. 

There are a lot of things that need to change, and that starts with us. If we are really One Maryland then we need to act like it creates change.

The main way everyone can help is acknowledging that they have the privilege and taking advantage of that in order to help minority individuals. First, it’s important to listen. This situation is not about you, it is about your teammate, your Maryland community, and in order to make a change, you need to listen. 

No one is faulting you for having privilege or white privilege, but my point is there are resources out there for you to understand your privilege and to understand how you can use your privilege to help others. Also, Black people are not your only resource and they do not have to answer your questions. 

It can be exhausting to live your life scared and tiptoeing around people, and then on top of that having to explain your pain multiple times. 

Like I said earlier, there are other resources available to you. All I am asking for you to do at this time is to be an ally for me and other people of color. It is not a political issue, there should be no debate. This is not a trend, these are our lives. 

Below are some informational resources and educational items that could be useful for you!

• Mary Turner 
• Tulsa
• Black Wall Street
• Just Mercy 
• When They See Us 
• Fruitvale Station
• White Man’s Burden
• King in the Wilderness 
• 13th 
• Dear White People 
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo 
• How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi 
• Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington 
• Elaine Massacre 
• Rosewood Massacre 
• Tuskegee Experiment 
• How White People Can Be Allies

Ayana Akli