Editor,
This letter is in response to the remarks made by the head coach of the U.S. Air Force Academy regarding African-American student-athletes.
In an interview on Oct. 25 regarding his team's game against TCU, coach Fisher DeBerry claimed the Air Force Academy's less-than-stellar performance on the playing field is attributed to TCU "having more African-American players on their team who can run very, very well." He also said, "It just seems to be that way, that Afro-American kids can run very, very well. That doesn't mean that Caucasian kids and other descents can't run, but it's very obvious to me they run extremely well."
These comments are reprehensible and should not be accepted by anyone who claims to be a sports fan. DeBerry's comment is just one more example of African-Americans being looked upon not as thinking, feeling human beings, but as objects that are to be used for the entertainment of white America.
DeBerry's comments are harmful because they pigeonhole athletes. His statement implies that they are one-dimensional people, and limits other people's perceptions that they have no other talents except being displayed on a field, court, track or diamond.
At UNM, the majority of African-American males are student-athletes whom I work with every day in African American Student Services. These young men have hopes and dreams for their future and are working toward being successful at whatever they choose to do after their collegiate athletic careers are over.
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Many of the African-American student-athletes are on track to graduate. Lobo wide receiver Hank Baskett is on course to graduate this spring with a bachelor's in business from the Anderson Schools of Business, and DonTrell Moore has will receive a bachelor's in criminology. Are these young men exceptional athletes? Yes, they are, but they are also exceptional students, role models and leaders.
As the president of the Black Graduate and Professional Students Association, I ask all students, staff and faculty, and all fans of Lobo athletics who attend the Nov. 19 football game - when the U.S. Air Force Academy comes to play the Lobos - to wear black attire (T-shirts, hats, etc.) to symbolize our dissatisfaction with DeBerry's remarks.
The remarks made were a slap in the face to every African-American who has ever participated in any organized sport. We at the association will not accept racism at UNM or anywhere else. We ask that you join us in making this position clear.
F. Michelle Touson
President, Black Graduate and Professional Students Association
