A Part Of Something Bigger

On March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, unarmed protestors led marches from Selma to Montogomery in protest of a lack of voting rights for Black Americans when they were attacked by state troopers with batons and tear gas as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge heading towards Montgomery. That was only 58 years ago. 

In remembrance of the historic Selma Marches, the Big Ten started the initiative "Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery" last year to educate student-athletes, coaches, and administrators on the civil rights movement in Alabama. It is led by the Big Ten Equality Coalition to examine the racial, social, religious, and cultural challenges the country still faces today.    

Four student-athletes traveled to Selma this year through Maryland Made for the second annual event. Ashley Germain from track and field, Zoe Huang and Laila Ivey from volleyball, and Reese Delp from field hockey attended the July 14-16 trip alongside Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development Adaeze Alaeze. Alongside their peers throughout the Big Ten, the group traced the steps of the US civil rights movement. 

According to Alaeze, she felt the purpose of the trip was to highlight and educate students in DEI, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and show the historical context in a non-traditional realm. 

"My main takeaway from the trip was figuring out different ways to help and just being in tune with the issues in the country and finding ways to encourage student-athletes to use their voice to help marginalized groups," Alaeze said.

The group took a plane ride to Alabama and then rode on a bus for two hours into Montgomery. Their day started bright and early on the 14th at 7am to prepare for the day ahead. 

On that first day, the group, alongside other colleges, including HBCUs, went to civil rights museums like the Rosa Parks Museum, the Freedom Riders Museum, and the Montgomery Interpretive Center. Later that day, they heard from Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who is known as the "smallest freedom fighter." 

"We went to the Rosa Parks museum and it was so impactful to see the timeline of how everything transpired during that time period. There was a movie played that illustrated what that day on the bus was like when Rosa Parks was arrested and how the news spread through the printed mailed documents," Alaeze said. "They made the museum very interactive to really bring the experience to life."

What stood out to Germain was that African Americans have spent time in prison for crimes they were only accused of during those times. Germain also recalled how Webb-Christburg spoke about her experience with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recapped the events on Bloody Sunday.

The lessons learned in Alabama have motivated Germain to continue to obtain knowledge so that she can pass it along to younger generations. 

"I'm on a mission to learn as much as possible to educate younger people," Germain said.

The next day, the group had the opportunity to visit the First Baptist Church and learn more about how discrimination against African Americans has changed and how it has remained. They also packed back-to-school backpacks for kids in the area. They filled the bags with soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs, pencils, pencil pouches, and other back-to-school essentials. 

They heard from speakers Lynda Blackmon, Mayor James Perkins, and Warren Billy Young. 

Ivey and Huang recalled listening to the activists and realizing how much progress the country still has to make. 

"Hearing from the speakers was really impactful. They spoke about their lives and experiences, really encouraging us to use our own voices for change," Huang said. "All the speakers were able to take us through every moment as if we were there, whether it was Bloody Sunday or working with Rosa Parks."

The final event on Saturday ended with the Alabama experience's centerpiece: a march of all the attendees walking across the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday attack. 

"It felt unreal," said Alaeze. She also mentioned how humbling the experience was to be on the bridge. 

The trip ended with the Terps having a small debrief about the weekend's events. The student-athletes returned from the trip feeling hopeful they could make a difference in the community around them. 

Germain, a Canadian native, will move on to higher education in the coming months. However, she mentioned how she keeps in contact with her teammates and will continue to inspire and educate them on the lessons she's learned.  

"It's important to know your history, it changes your perspective and the way you act," Germain said.

Huang felt that the trip changed her perspective on the country's challenges. 

"I thought it might not be as impactful as an Asian American but I learned that it's more about coming together instead of comparing minorities," said Huang. 

Ivey and Huang want to ensure that conversations continue to be facilitated among their volleyball teammates. They have made it a point to emphasize the importance of voting within their team. 

"We want to facilitate more conversations within the team about what's going on in the country and making sure that our team votes," Huang said.

The student-athletes felt like it was a privilege to participate in a trip that only a few received the opportunity to go on. 

"It felt like an honor and a once in a lifetime opportunity to be there," Ivey said.