While February is officially Black History Month, Up2Us Sports honors and celebrates Black voices all year long. We are proud to be the nation's most diverse AmeriCorps program, with 40% of our coaches and 43% of the youth they serve identifying as African American. Black History Month is an opportunity to pay special tribute to their voices and stories. We asked some coaches to share their thoughts on what Black History Month means to them and why representation in coaching matters. These are their stories.
Coach Devon, Harlem Lacrosse, Baltimore
“Representation in coaching matters because it helps with the relationship building with your players. When youth players see someone who’s a positive role model, a trusted adult in their life, and can play/coach the game they both love, its always a plus. I had a coach who not only was an African American man, he was also a father to many young men. He treated everyone like his own son, whereas he would pay for a tournament for a child who could not afford it. He took youth lacrosse teams to summer tournaments with his own funds and help from another great coach as well. Coach Lloyd Carter is one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had the privilege of playing for, but he is a greater mentor. He had me read a book as a senior in high school titled “How To Be A Gentleman.” He taught me how to dress, he taught me respect for myself and others, how to be responsible for my own actions, how its nothing like having your own. I even saw the man graduate from college while I was on summer break from college. If I had never seen, met, or played Lacrosse for Coach Carter, to be honest, I don’t know what type of man I would be today. I’m truly thankful that my first Lacrosse coach was an African American man. Now its my turn to be a Coach Carter, so this is why representation in coaching matters.”
Coach Riyad, Youth Mentoring Partnership, Philadelphia
“This month is important to me to see where African Americans started 400 years ago, being chained up and brought on a boat. Not being able to learn how to read or write, 3/5 of a person fighting in countless wars for our freedom but never really become free to being segregated for the simple fact of our skin. Millions of people have died so that I can have a chance to vote and have an education. As a Black man, I'm at a 400-year deficit. I still feel the pain that my ancestors went through. I can still hear their screams for a better life; this month isn't about me; it's about them, so I wear my skin with pride and joy, knowing that I can make them proud. We still have a lot of work to do as a society, but one day we will get there. This is why I love being a coach. I see that I'm making a difference in these kids' lives, knowing they can be whatever they want.”
Coach Jacobie, Firstline Langston Hughes Academy, New Orleans
“It is important for students to see a young Black man to show them that they can do what I am doing as far as coaching. They always ask me how I became a coach and how they could become a coach one day too. It also gives me a different perspective of the kids because I can relate to their experiences and show them care from a place of understanding what they are going through.”
Coach AJ, Give and Go Athletics, Philadephia
“I think Black History Month recognizes what African Americans have achieved and have been through and the role we play in U.S. history. I believe Black History Month should be a big deal, just how we celebrate July 4. I believe all African Americans should have special perks for that month, for example, black businesses should be boosted to draw more of an audience to their merchandise. That's what Black History Month means to me.”
Coach Jabril, Youth Mentoring Partnership, Philadelphia
“Representation in coaching matters because it’s simply caring about the success of others. You’re coaching an individual or a group of people who have a passion and goal to achieve something great, and your job as a coach is to help them get there. When somebody is a coach, they are selfless; coaches typically do not coach and put in the effort for themselves. Coaches coach and do the job for the betterment of a bigger cause/purpose. It’s mainly never about them, it’s about the person or thing that they are coaching. A team/group of people created anything that is powerful or has reached high success. Being a part of something and having a role in reaching success is the key to it all because when success hits, people usually remember and talk about the team/organization name, not an individual name. In this picture, YMP was granted the opportunity to be a part of a cultural event at Mastery Pickett Campus called Physical Education Day. We could help and assist all gym classes competing for the best class in physical education in 2023. It’s amazing knowing that the winning class can say YMP staff played a role in making the event happen. YMP was a representation of Physical Education Day in the 2022-2023 school year.”
Coach Taleek, Equity Design, New York City
“What Black History Month means to me is leaders like Martin Luther King who used their voice and movement (walking) to be heard. I think about all the students in the classes I teach and how each of them want their voices to be heard. Each of my students move and think differently. Sometimes kinetic learners are judged for moving, for expressing themselves differently. For some, this may be looked as disruptive, but movement is important because it’s a part of our growth and our everyday life. It’s a way for some youth to express what they need. Martin Luther King always thought about how to move forward, how to create change. I always think about how to help our youth move forward, in a way that best helps them to grow and naturally speaks to them.”
