Boston Provides Memorable Experience for Huskie Student-Athletes

On Labor Day Weekend, as the NIU Football team traveled to Boston for their season-opening victory against Boston College, another group of Huskie student-athletes made the trip to Boston for an unforgettable cultural and educational experience, while cheering on the football team. Eight Huskie student-athletes were joined members of the administration to tour sites related to African American history in one of the nation’s oldest cities.

The group, which included Eric Erato (Baseball), Akanimo Asuquo (Football), Kennedy Crawford (Track and Field), Jayden Marable (Women’s Basketball), Madison Mathews (Softball), Sydney Naro (Women’s Golf), Ricardo Salinas (Wrestling) and Keshawn Williams (Men’s Basketball), viewed the documentary “13th" prior to the trip and participated in a discussion, facilitated by Monique Bernoudy, NIU Assistant Vice President, Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, on the history of inequality in the United States, its impact on athletics and the history of Massachusetts as one of the first states in the nation to abolish slavery.

During the trip to Boston, which was organized by NIU Senior Associate Athletic Director Courtney Vinson, the group visited the Museum of African American History, African Meeting House and The Black Heritage Trail. Among those that joined the student-athletes was NIU President Dr. Lisa C. Freeman.

“NIU is committed to providing students with transformative experiences that encourage them to think critically, develop compassion, and acquire the skills needed to integrate complex and conflicting realities,” said Freeman. “Visiting Boston’s African American historic sites with Huskie student athletes allowed my husband Doug and I to be part of their growth, as we learned about often untaught aspects of American history and the important role of Beacon Hill’s Black community in the abolition movement, underground railroad, Civil War, and early struggle for equal rights in education.”

According to Vinson, the presence of President Freeman with the group touring those historic sites added to the experience for the student-athletes.

“To have her on the tour and to have her talk to our student-athletes and have that personal engagement, that left something with the student-athletes that they will never forget,” said Vinson. “President Freeman wants to be with students, she enjoys being with students, as does her husband, so that in itself is special to our student-athletes.”

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip to Boston,” said Marable. “It was an amazing opportunity to become more informed about my history, and I can walk away saying I learned more about African American history and the important figures in Boston that were an integral part of the Underground Railroad. This group of people made the experience even more enjoyable, and I am glad we were able to go on this journey together. I am excited to go back to DeKalb and share what I have learned with my teammates.”

Salinas echoed those thoughts and was also eager to take what he gained from the experience in Boston back to DeKalb.

“Spending the weekend in Boston and getting the opportunity to visit the Museum of African American History was an inspiring experience,” said Salinas. “I’m more than grateful to have been able to learn more about equity and inclusion through such a unique experience that also allowed me to become closer with my fellow student-athletes and administrators. I strongly feel that I can incorporate what I’ve learned back to NIU and my own personal life.”
 

The Museum of African American History is New England’s largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving, and interpreting the contributions of African Americans in the Boston area. It connects colonial and early African American history and culture in Boston and New England with the abolition of slavery and current explorations of race and the struggle for human rights.

African Meeting House was built in 1806 and is the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. Built by free African American artisans, the building, which has been a church, a school and a vital community meeting place, has been returned to its 1855 appearance through historic restoration.

The Black Heritage Trail is an approximately 1.5-mile-long trail linking sites that explore the trials of the free black community which inhabited the North Slope of Beacon Hill from the late 1700s through the 1800s.

Each of the sites left a lasting impression upon the group of Huskie student-athletes.

“The tenacity displayed by the community of Beacon Hill is truly inspirational,” Mathews said. “These people envisioned a life much more progressive than their own, but nevertheless, they persisted. Their effort has paved the way for our country, yet our work is not finished. Together, we can bring their dreams into fruition.”

“This was a trip I can proudly say I walked away learning a lot from,” said Asuquo. “There is so much to be fascinated about the city of Boston, but I really appreciate learning the city’s role in cultivating African American History in the U.S. I can’t wait to one day tell my kids I visited the first African American school ever in the United States. Truly a memorable trip for me.”
 

“We learn in classroom, we learn in sport, but when you are able to connect a cultural, educational experience, that is transformational education,” said Vinson. “The things that we learned (in Boston) are not things we learned in school, they were not in textbooks when we went through primary and secondary school, so when you are able to provide new historical information, your student-athletes minds are expanded in a unique way, those are the things as an administrator that become transformative experiences.”

Lifelong memories and new educational experiences made the trip unforgettable for the group, and Vinson knows that similar future trips will be very popular with Huskie student-athletes.

“I think I am going to need an application process for the next trip that I plan,” Vinson exclaimed. “The way this group of student-athletes has described the trip to their peers has made other student-athletes excited about it, so that is a good problem to have. Our coaches are excited that their student-athletes had this cultural experience, our student-athletes were excited to have the experience, that’s the most you can ask for.”