Kean Athletics launches Black History Month docuseries

By Kervin Coleman | Published March 3, 2023

Black History Month is nationally recognized for the empowerment of African Americans. In opposition to the oppression and depression that minorities have seen over the last 500 years, the purpose of Black History Month is to remember important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. 

According to the NCAA demographics database, Black student-athletes comprised 16% of the student-athlete population in 2022, and 13% of athletics directors were Black. In addition, the NCAA has 53 historically Black colleges and universities as members. 

The Kean athletics department has taken part in celebrating Black History Month by releasing video montages with student-athletes, coaches, as well as the director of athletics Kelly Williams.

Jenna Lara, an assistant women’s volleyball coach at Kean and as well as is the coordinator of Athletics & Recreation and Athletic Training Operations, helped orchestrate the idea of the docuseries.

“I really thought of the idea of doing a docuseries to give our student-athletes an opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences on a platform where they are featured regularly,” Lara said.

These videos range from approximately two to four minutes and they document the upbringings and lives of these individuals in relation to showing African American culture. 

The impact of these highlighted videos is shown as no other universities have exemplified Black History Month in the sense of documentary-style videos for individuals and their own experiences, then connecting it to the larger scale. 

“Being able to hear different stories and experiences gives everyone the opportunity to understand one another and learn and grow and make changes for the better,” Lara said.

In his episode of the docuseries, Williams described Black History Month as an opportunity to heighten the awareness of all the successes that people of color have made and the impact that they have made. He attributes his learnings to his parents, along with giving them high praise for steering him in the right direction. Williams hopes to have young Black athletes understand and follow his path. 

“Systematically there has always been a different dynamic between white and Black athletes,” Williams stated. “Unfortunately for so many years stereotypes and the narrative surrounding black athletes created a major disadvantage and limited opportunities which we are still trying to overcome”.

One of the docuseries episodes features Kean basketball senior guard Jailen Jamison. The experience was brand new to him and Kean in general and was conducted in a professional manner. 

“Black History Month means truly being proud of my culture, coming together to spread love and awareness amongst each other,” Jamison said. “This project was very brand new and exciting for Kean which is always a good thing.” 

Jamison’s teammate, fellow senior forward Letrell West also featured in an episode of the docuseries. In an opposing sense of Jamison, West doesn’t fully agree with the ideology of Black history being regulated to one month out of twelve and feels there should be a set implementation of importance regarding Black history whether it’s February or not. 

“We deserve to be treated and taught in school for the duration of school just like any other history, we shouldn’t be taught or celebrated for a month,” West said. “We as African Americans or Black people are a part of history as a whole and should be treated as that, not just given a month to be taught and highlighted.” 

While Black History Month serves as an important reminder of the contributions and achievements of Black Americans, people may argue that the celebration can sometimes focus on accomplishments and a limited selection of figures and events, leaving out many important contributions and experiences of Black people. 

The wide selection of the world can pinpoint Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as important figures, rightfully so but there are other figures who aren’t published in the same vein. There are more people that can acknowledge Rosa Park’s accomplishments and influence but do not know who Phillis Wheatley is. 

John D. Rockefeller is widely known for becoming the world’s first U.S. dollar billionaire but many are not aware of Mansa Musa, who is considered the wealthiest person in history when equating his net worth to the U.S. dollar. 

“My vision for people of color is to be treated with respect, valued for who they are, and to have peace in their everyday experiences,” Williams said. Ultimately, I want equity and a level playing field.” 

There have been waves of ideas to expand and continue the celebration of Black History Month at Kean. Lara wants to see the docuseries continue for future student-athletes who come through Kean programs.  She looks at it as an opportunity for Kean student-athletes to visit and speak to athletes of the schools that are involved with the Kean University Building Stronger Urban Communities program. 

“Black History Month is a way for us to look back at the incredible achievements and contributions that have been made by people of color and to be inspired by all of the struggles and hardships they had to face to do so,” Lara said. 

Kelly Williams has a similar outlook as West when it comes to publicizing Black history and culture further than just the month of February. They also share a similar approach to how Kean should continue its efforts and progressions to doing so. 

“Kean can continue to further celebrate African American culture by highlighting our culture throughout the entire school year and not just in the month of February,” Williams said. “Kean can consider featuring people of color’s accomplishments and their impact on the world by showing some of the inventions that they did not get proper recognition for.” 

A common denominator of Jamison, West, and William’s point of view towards being African American is a sense of motivation and inspiration. Black History Month is an essential celebration of African-American contributions to American society. It’s a time to recognize and remember the struggles of Black Americans throughout history and the significant impact they have made on the country. 

It’s a time to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and to highlight their role in shaping the nation’s culture, politics, and economy. By recognizing Black history, people can better understand and appreciate the diversity and complexity of the American experience. It’s a crucial opportunity to reflect on the country’s past and present and to commit to creating a more inclusive and equitable future.

“Educating ourselves on the great ones who came before us, who sacrificed their lives so we could live the lives that we do today,” Jamison said. 

---