In Pursuit of an Inclusive Campus
By Makena Gera
In August 2020, when Chidera Udeh opened the Instagram account of Marist’s newly founded Black Student-Athlete Alliance (BSAA), she found it flooded with follow requests — about 300 of them. On August 4, every varsity sports team at Marist posted on the social media platform in support of the organization, which announced its inception a week earlier.
As a senior and Communication major, writing comes easily to Chidera — or Chi, as her friends call her. She crafted the mission statement echoed in the posts of every Marist athletics team: The [BSAA] is dedicated to creating an uplifting community and giving a voice to our Black and Brown student-athletes. As an organization, we plan to focus on taking steps to change school policies, connect with the community, and create a sense of family among the minority student-athletes.
Alongside other students, Chidera attended the Black Student-Athlete Conference in January 2020. There, she was inspired to take action at Marist. “The speakers talked about the mental health of student-athletes and how it isn’t considered as important as physical strength at some colleges or universities,” Chidera explains. “One group had an organization that specifically catered to student-athletes of color, and gave them a community to connect with. We decided we wanted to start something like that at Marist.”
But the pandemic hit. Students were sent home and required to complete their coursework online. Extracurricular activities fell by the wayside.
Then, the national outcry sparked by George Floyd’s murder called for the end of systematic racism everywhere, including at colleges and universities. At Marist, students were anxious for the administration to better support students of color, which reignited efforts from Chidera and her peers to establish the BSAA at Marist.
There was national attention focused on the same goals the future BSAA chapter at Marist aimed to achieve. Peaches Brown, the Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Enhancement for basketball at the time, worked on putting together the organization’s executive board. Chidera was one of the first students she approached. “She was already on my radar because she had attended the summit. I wanted each member of the leadership board to work on something they were good at — and Chi is extremely talented at social media,” Brown recalls. “So she took on that role and ran with it.”
Along with the board’s other members, Chidera worked towards establishing a support system for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) students at Marist, a primarily White institution. The BSAA would provide a space where students of color could find community and speak their mind. It would ultimately change the culture at the college to benefit current and future students.
While growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Chidera attended a high school with a diverse student body. She played multiple sports but eventually turned all her attention to volleyball. Her high school team was always diverse — but on her traveling club team, the sport was predominately White. She was used to being the only player of color on the court; but at Marist, she encountered a racially homogenous social climate like never before.
As a middle blocker on the college’s varsity Women’s Volleyball team, Chidera found community with her teammates — as she had always done. “I’ve loved team sports my whole life. I love being able to connect with other female athletes and the camaraderie that comes with team sports,” she says. “I've been lucky to be on teams where I’ve really connected with every single person I’ve played with. I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends.”
Sarah Austin, a senior at Marist and Chidera’s teammate, says that Chidera forms a unique, personal relationship with every single player. “People often gravitate towards her — including me — because of her ability to make people laugh, her big heart, and the energy that she brings into a room,” Austin explains. “As soon as I met her, I knew she was going to be somebody I wanted to be friends with well beyond college.”
However, the connection and sense of belonging Chidera found with her team was not always echoed in her everyday life on campus. Walking into classrooms, Chidera often found that she was one of the only — if not the only — Black students in the room. “Sadly, it's just something that I've just come to accept, that I most likely will be the only person of color in the classroom. But I shouldn’t have to,” she says.
While it didn’t necessarily make her uncomfortable, it made Chidera more unsure about how she did, or didn’t, fit into the culture at Marist. “Sometimes I felt like I was using my athletic gear as a security blanket,” she admits. “I guess it was kind of a way for me to say, ‘I'm an athlete. That's why I'm here.’”
Illustration by Andrew Mark
For Chidera, the BSAA’s aim of cultivating an inclusive and diverse community for current and future students is personal. “The goal is to make sure that every student after me feels more comfortable than I did. I’m a senior, I only have a few months left here,” she says. “People who come to Marist in the coming years should be able to find organizations and programs that are made to support them.”
BSAA co-president Trinasia Kennedy notes that Chidera’s energy and passion to better the Marist community for student-athletes shows in everything she does. “She will stop at nothing to improve their experience,” Kennedy says. She’s ambitious, and that drive has helped the board achieve tremendous success in its first semester.
In September, the organization held a Black Lives Matter march with a turnout of over 700 people, and held a town hall in late October. “It was a place where attendees could just listen and learn,” Chidera says. “I got to hear other people's perspectives and experiences at Marist or their hometowns, and it opened my eyes so much to the number of student-athletes, faculty, coaches, and staff who wanted to learn and support us.”
The town hall was one of the BSAA’s most successful events of the fall, and Chidera is determined to continue building the organization’s momentum in the spring. “The town hall kind of catapulted our want and our need to hold more events to keep the word out and make sure people don’t forget the message we want to send.”
Teammates, friends, and supervisors constantly recognize Chidera’s dedication to bettering not only herself but also those around her. Whether it’s as a leader in various organizations around campus, at home, or in the community, she’s dedicated to improving the lives of others. “I don't think people really realize everything Chi does, because she doesn't really talk about it,” Brown says. “But when you actually find out everything that she’s involved with, it amazes you.”
While in high school, Chidera was a co-founder and ambassador for Young Black Women (YBW), an all-female division of the Young Black Leadership Alliance. The organization focused on academic excellence, leadership, and service. “It worked to change the stereotypes of African Americans and give students of color professional opportunities, connections and a broader network,” Chidera explains. “It also showed me the personal growth that you can go through by being a part of an organization like that, and the connections and people you can meet.”
Throughout high school and into college, Chidera has held onto a passion for community service. Not only does she contribute to the Poughkeepsie community through the athletics department, but also seeks out service opportunities in her free time and at home. “I’ll just find things to do because I really enjoy it, and I feel good after having been part of a service project,” Chidera says. “Every year, I like to try and do more hours than the year before.”
As one of Chidera’s closest friends, Austin admires Chidera’s selflessness and willingness to drop everything to help someone else — but also her drive to find success for herself as well. “This past year, I have seen her take so many steps outside of her comfort zone and it's just amazing being able to witness the growth that she has had personally, professionally, and athletically because of the opportunities that she has created for herself.”
Whether it’s for the BSAA or any other organization or role, Chidera’s goal is to advocate for diversity and inclusion everywhere. “I’ve always looked up to strong female athletes who have used their platform to speak about more than just their sport. I don’t know exactly what I want to do for my future career, but I could see myself working for a nonprofit. I could see myself working in healthcare. And I could see myself working in athletics,” Chidera says. “I just want to be passionate about the work that I do.”
FOR THE RECORD UNCUT
OBJECT PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography by Bobby Oliver
For this year’s project, we asked our Changemakers to bring items that had meaning to them to the shoot.
“The reason I chose to bring the volleyball was because it is the sport that I have dedicated majority of my life to and it’s helped mold me into the person I am today. Volleyball has provided me with so many amazing opportunities and experiences and I am forever thankful for the sport. I brought the Black Lives Matter t-shirt because it symbolizes a movement that I am proud to stand behind and advocate for. Lastly, the charm bracelet is a symbol of all the stepping stones and big moments in my life. Every time something monumental happens, I add a charm, so it is kind of a timeline of my life and a way to remember what I’ve been through.”