“But I’m Not Racist”
Written by: Ali Curry & Edited by: Blair Bryant
Being Black in synchro the phrase “I’m not racist” is something I hear often. Most people, mainly White people, believe that unless they are actively using slur words or assaulting Black people they aren’t being racist. In actuality, racism can be demonstrated in three different ways. You can be explicitly racist(macroaggressions), implicitly racist(microaggressions), or anti-racist (fighting against racism). Just because you may not show explicit forms of racism doesn’t mean you aren’t showing it implicitly. Unless you are working to be anti-racist, you can easily fall into being implicitly racist without even knowing it. Throughout my eight seasons in synchro, I’ve experienced explicit and implicit racism. I’ll be using my own personal experiences in this article to hopefully bring light to this topic. I’m choosing to omit names of skaters, coaches, and teams out of respect for them, but it’s also important to see why what they did was wrong. As a sport we need to do better, and this is a good place to start.
Explicit Racism
Definition[1]: A large-scale or overt aggression toward those of a certain race and/or culture.
As a Black person in this sport as well as in this country, I am never given the benefit of the doubt. We all know the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” but for people who look like me, it has always been “guilty until proven innocent.” A recent example of this for me took place within the past year. For context, for the first time in my career I was the only minority on my team. Previous years I had had Asians, Hispanics, or other Black people on my team but this season I was alone. Just me, seventeen other White girls, and two White coaches. As we approached Nationals, a rumor began to spread among the team of me bullying another member of the team. This rumor was that I had sent her a message telling her she wasn’t going to skate Nationals. They told the coaches this, and instead of the coaches asking to see the message first or for both sides of the story, they came directly to me instead. They brought me into a room alone after practice, demanded I hand over my phone, and then proceeded to go through my phone to look for this message. They had no proof, but still felt the need to assert their authority and search through my phone. This experience reminds me of how Black people are often followed in stores, and if they exit without buying anything, they are patted down after leaving “just to make sure” they didn’t steal anything. This was no different. While their objective was to clear up a rumor, by their actions they reinforced this stereotype of “guilty until proven innocent” among the Black community. My advice for coaches who may find themselves in a similar situation is to extend the same grace to all of your skaters. Synchro is a sport that is built on unity and teamwork both on and off the ice, therefore it starts with the coaches treating skaters equally, no matter their background.
I felt explicit racism at all levels. From my teammates targeting me and starting rumors, to coaches immediately framing me and not allowing a chance for me to defend myself. As people of color we are not always listened to when it comes to racist actions. It’s often played off as we’re just trying to “start something” or “playing the race card.” As a White teammate, coach, or parent you need to also be an ally to your skaters of color and stand up for them. If you see or hear someone doing something explicitly racist call them out and hold them accountable for it. Because unfortunately sometimes greater action will come if you say something then if we were to.
Implicit Racism
Definition: A small-scale physical or verbal interaction between those of different races and/or cultures. This may carry no malicious intention, but that can be interpreted by the receiving party as such.
In the moments following this situation, another warped dynamic in society was made clear; the perception of age among Black and White individuals. White individuals never seem to have to grow up and are more commonly perceived as “innocent,” while Black individuals have to grow up far too quickly. About a week after the event stated above, my father had a call with the head of our organization. Throughout the entire conversation she referred to the coach who looked through my phone as a child who “didn’t know better” and myself as someone who needed to “act like an adult.” The ironic thing was the coach was in her late 20s at the time and I was only 16. I assume the head of this organization didn’t even think when using those words, but her internal bias resulted in her victimizing the White coach making her seem as someone who didn’t know what she was doing, while also making it seem like I wasn’t acting like an adult because I brought attention to this and didn’t just let it slide by.
Implicit racism can also be shown through microaggressions. These are called “micro” because they are often indirect and subtle as opposed to macroaggressions which are typically larger and more blatant forms of discrimination. Since they are so subtle, people often use them without a second thought as to if it is offensive. Some examples of microaggressions I have faced are being referred to as “colored,” or people constantly touching my hair without my consent. As time goes on, language evolves, and while the term “colored” may have been commonly used at one point in time, it is no longer appropriate to be used. You may have grown up around people using “colored” or “negro” and thought it was alright, but at some point you need to educate yourself on the history of these words and claiming you “don’t know better” isn’t going to work anymore. Right now, we have access to a multitude of information at the tip of our fingers, and there is a big difference between being young and being willfully ignorant.
On the topic of hair, touching a Black person’s hair without their consent is very rude, and through these actions you are saying “your hair is different from anything I’ve known, so I feel entitled to touch and explore it.” Often when people do this they come up, grab it, and make comments about its texture or how it moves. By doing this, it is very similar to being treated like a petting zoo animal. Although these actions were performed out of curiosity not necessarily hatred, they often are just a reminder to Black skaters how different we truly are from the rest of our teammates. As a result, many of us become uncomfortable wearing our natural hair and even become ashamed by it. These actions are implicitly racist because you don’t understand these actions are racist at first, but often they have racist undertones. When I’ve talked to people about these situations, they have thought they were complimenting me or it was a form of flattery. But, before you do something, take a step back and ask yourself “would I like this done to me?” These comments you make might not mean anything to you, but can be highly damaging to skaters of color on the receiving end of them.
Anti-Racist
Definition: Actions taken against the racial hatred, bias, systemic racism, and oppression of a marginalized group(s).
Everyone is racist either explicitly, implicitly, or both. Does that mean you’re a terrible or awful person? No, definitely not. What it does mean is that you possess racist ideologies and implicit biases just like anyone else does. That’s why the phrase “I’m not racist” isn’t true. Instead of focusing on convincing people you aren’t racist, focus on how you can be anti-racist and further educate yourself. If all you’ve done in the past year is partake in the trend of “tag 10 people if you’re not racist” or post a black square, this is a prime example of performative activism. Being anti-racist or an ally means fighting and educating yourself even after it’s not a “trend” anymore. Continue sharing information, signing petitions, and bringing light to these issues. The topic of racism isn’t something I just talk about with people, but as a Black person I experience it everyday. If you are not a person of color, it is important that you continue to fight and advocate for your teammates of color within the sport. From advocating to get them tights/mesh that match their skin tone, to making sure they are kept in mind when it comes to hair styling decisions, and so much more. Being an ally also means you need to be able to take criticism from your Black teammates. If you’re called out for being racist or a racist action, don’t immediately try to defend your action or make up an excuse. Listen to why what you did was wrong and ask how you can do better. From there work to do better. Lastly, by being an ally and anti-racist your job is to amplify Black voices, not your own. Speak with them, not over them, and listen to what they have to say.
I hope this article helped you see things from the perspective of a Black skater in synchro, and hopefully you can now better understand some of the challenges we have faced. I, along with so many other skaters, have gone through horrible things because of our race, but we as a community have the chance to now work together to make sure no other skaters have experiences like these. If you would like to read more experiences skaters of color have had, I highly recommend checking out the Instagram account @pocinskating and the Celebration of Diversity in Synchro IGTV on the @usfigureskating instagram account.
At the end of the day. . .
Parents can do better.
Skaters can do better.
Coaches can do better.
Teams can do better.
Our sport can do better.
[1] Definitions provided taken from Wikipedia and the dictionary