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

Eddy Zheng, a Chinese American immigrant who was caught up in the school-to-prison pipelineas a teenager, discovered a profound sense of belonging with other people of color while in prison. Today, he leads the New Breath Foundation (NBF), a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community impacted by incarceration, deportation, and systemic violence by building bonds across different communities. “Understanding our shared traumas liberated me mentally long before I was physically free,” said Eddy, recalling the life-changing insights he gained during his time in prison. The relationships he formed and the books he read