By 
Ahead of the National Day of Racial Healing, athletes from the University of New Mexico (UNM) reflected on the joys and challenges of joining with
their teammates and peers to create cultures in which everyone belongs.
UNM Athletics plans to honor the National Day of Racial Healing during the women’s basketball game on Jan. 8, 2025, and the men’s basketball game on Jan. 20.
Playing with the same vision
Adjusting to life in a new country is tough, especially when it means leaving behind the delicious food your parents make in their family-owned restaurants. Baseball player David Lopez and football player Michael Buckley share this common experience. They say the camaraderie among teammates and fans eases the homesickness.
“Our sport, we have the same goal, no matter our color, no matter where we’re from,” Lopez said, “New Mexico is proud of us.”
Life-changing experiences: building relationships across differences
Softball team member Ashley Archuleta and swimmer Katy McCarter take a deep dive into how team sports provide firsthand experience with cross-racial and cross-cultural collaboration.
McCarter, who grew up in a majority White community in Alaska says, “Coming to New Mexico was eye-opening and life changing. I never experienced that many cultures. Personally, I’ve grown so much.
Dealing with society’s expectations as women of color
Williams, who’s from the U.S-Mexico border region, shares what her parents taught her: “No matter how bad people treat you or the bad things they say, the racism, the discrimination, don’t ever treat someone that way,” she says. “Negative plus negative is never going to equal a positive.”
Comments