University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Minnesota Readies to Host Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
1/12/2022 6:30:00 PM | Gymnastics
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
"This meet is not going to just be about gymnastics," sophomore Mya Hooten said. "This day is also about Martin Luther King Jr. and the focus will be to celebrate him and his legacy."
Ahead of the event, both the University of Minnesota and UCLA gymnastics teams held education sessions for student-athletes, helping to empower student-athletes to be informed agents of change in the space of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. The theme that all ongoing discussions are centered around is "Activism and Athletics in the Shadow of MLK's Legacy."
After reading and analyzing King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," each team met separately with leaders in their respective schools' Equity, Diversity and Inclusion departments to continue the conversation. Minnesota student-athletes held guided discussions with Peyton Owens III, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Leadership Development & Strategic Partnerships and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and with Quincy Lewis, Director of the "M" Club.
"We thought it would be super impactful if we chose a quote from this letter, so we decided to surround this day around, 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' That is our focus for the meet," Ella Sirjord said.
At these sessions, both the Gophers and Bruins responded to these critical questions:
- What parallels do you see in King's letter to today's fight for human civil rights for marginalized groups (Blacks and other marginalized racial/ethnic/religious groups, women, LGBTQ+ community, immigrant population, etc.)?
- King states, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly". What does this mean to you?
- How can sports, and specifically gymnastics, serve as a platform to elevate and uplift the cause for equality that King spoke of and what are some of the possible challenges?
Student-athlete responses to these questions will be shared via social media leading up to the meet, as well as in-venue during the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Both teams will also come together via Zoom the week before the meet to discuss experiences, share their findings and continue this important conversation.
A special recognition is planned for the UCLA vs Minnesota meet on Jan. 17 with a call to action video created by both teams, a rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" before "The Star-Spangled Banner" and educational programming throughout the meet.
"Our biggest goal is to raise awareness, remember what has happened in the past and show that these injustices are still happening," Hooten said. "We hope fans will realize that they can stand up when they see injustice happening."