Dartmouth Black Student-Athlete Alliance Takes Form This Fall

HANOVER, N.H. – During the time of a country divided and with high-profile racial injustices across the nation, a pair of students have created a group by Black athletes for Black athletes, an organization that is helping them find their way at Dartmouth.

The Dartmouth Black Student-Athlete Alliance (DBSAA) was formed by Tola Akinwumi '21 (volleyball) and Garrison Wade '22 (men's basketball) over the summer to give Black student-athletes the space to speak their minds where there wasn't one before.

Let's meet the players. Akinwumi has shined at the net during her career, as evidenced by the fact that her name appears in the all-time blocks record book four times. Her 11 blocks against Harvard last season ties her for the second most in a single Big Green match, while her blocks per set all three seasons are in the top seven, with her 2018 average (1.18) placing her at the top. Wade is an athletic forward who saw action as a reserve in all but two games in his sophomore campaign. He was anticipating playing an even bigger role this winter before the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the season.

So, what exactly is the DBSAA? Akinwumi explained that it is "a campus organization dedicated to fostering a sense of community, inclusion and mentorship for Black student-athletes enrolled at Dartmouth." A great deal is included under that umbrella of community, and this organization is giving Black student-athletes a way to make themselves heard.

"We are dedicated to creating a space to actively address the pressing issues of racial inequality on campus and in this country," Akinwumi continued. "We want to ensure that all Black student-athletes feel comfortable at Dartmouth and are doing their part to make an impact outside of athletics. This is a space for conversation, fellowship and advancement."

Wade added on to that, saying that, not only is their aim to bring them together while on campus, but to "help Black student-athletes with professional development and to be prepared when they enter the real world, including things like how to do their taxes and keep a budget," responsibilities not necessarily covered in class.

Another important part of the DBSAA? Alumni relations. "Dartmouth prides itself on having one of the best alumni networks in the network," Wade said, "so we want to be able to tap into that."

The creation of this alliance came at a time when Black students needed a space of their own but didn't yet have anywhere or anyone to turn to. "At Dartmouth and across the Ivy League, there is a fundamental lack of support and community space made exclusive to Black student-athletes," Akinwumi said. "I became very aware of this problem early in my college career but lacked the time and resources to really sit down and develop a plan."

Following the news of the racial injustices that occurred over the summer, Wade, too, knew he needed to act. "In the midst of the recent social justice movement, I was trying to find a way to do my part in helping Black people. So, why not help people in my own community first and then go from there?" With both Akinwumi and Wade feeling the strong urge to make positive changes, the Dartmouth Black Student-Athlete Alliance was born.

After COVID-19 shut everything down, canceled sports and forced students to attend classes on Zoom, the middle blocker from Palos Verdes, California, and the forward from Madison, Mississippi, didn't hesitate to get the ball rolling. "The pandemic provided me with a lot of time to thoroughly brainstorm my vision of this organization, reach out to newer Black administrators and connect with like-minded peers," Akinwumi said. One of those peers was Wade, who added that he and Akinwumi had been good friends well before starting this new venture and that "co-founding this organization with her was an easy decision … it's our way to make a difference in this world."

Having found someone to help create this alliance and with more time to cultivate it, Akinwumi and Wade went about making the DBSAA a reality. "Throughout the summer, we were able to think critically and strategically about the overall direction of this organization," Akinwumi said. "Additionally, with the ongoing fight against racial injustice and the influx of new Black athletes each year, we knew that this was the perfect time to introduce the organization to the Dartmouth and Ivy League communities."

Wade said that they had the tough task of making the DBSAA known during a time when everything was virtual, but that they found a way: "The first thing we did was establish a Student-Athlete of the Week during the summer. There weren't any games happening in the summer or in the fall, and with the cancellation of the fall season, we knew we wanted to get our name out on social media and have a way to keep students – Black or white or anybody – involved in our account." Because of this, the group highlighted a different student-athlete each week, just to get on everybody's radar. Fast forward a few months, and the alliance has started to make a name for itself.

The highlight of their work thus far? The Big Green Conversations, a virtual speaker series initiated after the canceling of fall sports, made unique by the fact that current student-athletes moderate the talk consisting of a panel of former student-athletes. The inaugural conversation was 'Navigating Dartmouth as a Black Student-Athlete' and was run by Akinwumi and Wade. "I didn't realize how important these conversations were going to be," Wade said, "but we had around 200 viewers, alumni and current students alike."

Alumni panelists included Peter Roby '79 (men's basketball), the former Northeastern Athletics Director; Jamal Brown '08 (track & field), the National Press Secretary at Biden for President; Alexandra Tanner '11 (track & field), Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology at UCLA; and Faziah Steen '13 (women's basketball), Senior Consultant at Optum-UnitedHealth Group.

Akinwumi, Wade and their panel discussed everything from what their individual paths to Dartmouth looked like, what the Black student-athlete community was like during their time, and about the hardships of being Black student-athletes at Dartmouth and how they overcame it. Wade ended the conversation by telling everyone why they started the organization when they did: "after the murder of George Floyd and the civil unrest in this country, Tola and I came together and knew we had to do something in our Dartmouth bubble to help Black students who might not have the same advantages as our white counterparts." That conversation has been viewed over 250 times so far and can be watched here. Two more Big Green Conversations were conducted this fall as well: "Building Resilience in a Pandemic" and "Leveraging Your Dartmouth Athletic Experience for Success in Corporate America."

As for how the Dartmouth Black Student-Athlete Alliance runs so smoothly, Akinwumi and Wade are far from alone in their fight. "As many people know, Garrison and I are the co-founders and co-presidents of the organization. However, many people are not aware of the hard work and dedication the Executive Board has been putting in since being appointed in September."

Akinwumi talked about the many helping hands who work behind the scenes and are a big part of the Executive Board. Naeem Morgan '20 (football) is the graphic designer and "creates all of the amazing fliers, infographics and posters on all of our social media; we are really grateful he's sharing his talent with us." Taurus Samuels '22 (men's basketball) and Tobi Adedara '22 (football) both serve as the Head of Professional Development and are "in charge of organizing any events or workshops around professional development, taking the lead on the Budgeting 101 event we had in October." Anyoko Sewavi '23 (women's rugby) is the Head of Alumni Relations and "her work is heavily centered around making connections with Black and non-Black alumni who are willing to help in any capacity." Juliet Moncho is the Communications Coordinator, and "plays a huge role in making sure each Black student-athlete is aware of upcoming events and relays any suggestions to the Executive Board."

Now that the DBSAA has gotten its feet off the ground, Akinwumi and Wade aren't stopping now. "We are always striving to make the organization better," Wade said. That includes getting it recognized as a club at Dartmouth and establishing a mentorship program between the older and younger athletes. This, Wade said, is to help those "who are not from the Northeast or have never been to Dartmouth to get up to speed on the culture and who to talk to or even where to get their hair cut."

The most ambitious goal is to establish connections with other Ivy League organizations of the same sort. "A couple of schools, Columbia and Harvard, have established organizations like our own," Wade said, "so our end goal is to team up with every Ivy League school so we can not only network between student-athletes who are on campus and their alumni, but also between schools to break down those barriers."

The work is far from over, but groups like the Dartmouth Black Student-Athlete Alliance are paving the way for more conversations, information and inclusivity at institutions around the country.

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Dartmouth Black Student-Athlete Alliance Takes Form This Fall

Players Mentioned

Tola Akinwumi

Taurus Samuels

Garrison Wade

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