2004 Bunche Symposium
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Transcript of 2004 Bunche Symposium
2004BuncheSymposium
C.KeithHarrison(Kinesiology,UniversityofMichigan):
"Ralph Bunche and the 'Scholar-Baller' Paradigm: Academic, Athletic and Social Transformation"
C.KeithHarrisonopenedhisdiscussionofAfricanAmericanstudentathletes,withseveralpersonalanecdotes,amongthemthestoryofadiscussionhehadwithhisfatherin1998whenhecommentedonthefailureofcontemporaryblackcollegiateathletestoemulatetheactionsofhistoricalAfricanAmericanstudentathletessuchasDr.RalphBuncheandJackieRobinson.Inresponse,hisfatherremarkedthat"they'veforgottenthatthey'reblack",highlightingtheobservationthatmanymodernblackstudentathleteshavecometoneglecttheirculturalheritage,aswellastheirresponsibilitytoattainaneducationconcurrentlywithparticipatingincollegesports.Conversely,African‐Americanathletesinthepastwereexpectedtocombinescholarshipandathleticprowesstoagreaterextentthanwhatisexpectedtoday.BunchehimselfisaclearexampleofwhatHarrisonreferredtoasa"scholar‐baller",astudentathletewhobalancesnotonlyathleticsandeducation,butculturalelementsaswell.Indiscussingthe"scholar‐baller"phenomenon,HarrisonrecountedBunche'sachievementsasadynamicstudentatUCLA,involvedinvariousathleticandnon‐athleticactivitiesoncampussuchasthestudentnewspaperanddebateteam.AccordingtoHarrison,despitesignificantattitudesofracismduringtheearly20thcentury,AfricanAmericancollegestudentslikeBunchewereheavilyinvolvedinextracurricularactivities,formingatypeof"in‐crowd"composedprimarilyofstudentscholars.Thoughhefaceddiscriminationfromhiswhiteteammates,hewentontobecomeanaccomplishedstudentandvaledictorianofhisclass.Inhisgraduationspeech,hecondemnedracism,sayingthat"hatredsaresuperficial‐baseduponfear,ignorance,blindprejudice,oradesiretodominateforselfishends…ifpeoplecanbyeducationalprocesses,mutuallyarriveatgreaterunderstandingandsympathy,thesehatredswillinlargemeasurebedissipated…"LikeBunche,otherhistoricalstudentathletessuchasWilliamHenryLewisandPaulRobesonalsobecameknownattheirrespectivecollegesforboththeiracademicandathleticachievements.However,somewherealongthelinethisexpectationforblackstudentathletestosucceedacademicallyeventuallygavewaytothe"dumbjock"stereotypethatexiststoday.Citinga1996studyusingdatacollectedfromover500intercollegiatestudentathletes,Harrisondescribedanoveralltrendforblackstudentathletestoeithermaintainastrongathleticidentityalongwithaweakracialidentity,ortoholdaweakathleticidentityalongwithastrongracialidentity.HenotedthatunlikeAfricanAmericanscholar‐ballersofthepast,modernblackstudentathletestendtochoosebetweenacademiaandathleticism,rarelyfocusingonboth.However,Harrisonalsosuggestedthatthisnotneedbethecasefor
contemporaryblackstudentathletes,giventherichhistoryofAfricanAmericanathleteswhohavesucceededatexcellinginbotharenas.Harrisonsuggestedthatthehistoryoftheoriginalscholar‐ballerssuchasDr.RalphBuncheshouldbefurtherstudied,notonlyforitsownsake,butinordertopreservethelegacytheyleftbehindtomodernblackstudentathletes.