Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 6 | June 2020

inside.hokiesports.com 11 In fact, I delighted in my relationships with our players and coaches. Talented people are talented people regardless of their race. In my opinion, nothing ranks better than being around talented people. When with a group of talented people, I always felt challenged by their collective intelligence, physical gifts, and drive. It motivated me. I took immense pride at being welcomed into their world and being part of the family. It has led to some of my happiest memories and relationships. I never thought much about where any of our players came from or about their lives before they came to Virginia Tech, or their lives after leaving this university. Until recently, none of this struck me as a problem. Growing up, I didn’t know race. I grew up with the belief of accepting all people, but never really had to do that. From there, hear the expressions: I didn’t think much about it. I didn’t pay it much mind. I didn’t notice. That’s just the way it was. All along, I thought I was part of the solution. It never dawned on me that I stood as part of the problem. To me, race relations were supposed to be this way—white, black, brown, etc., all pulling in the same direction toward the same goals and living harmoniously together. In short, I thought I was doing my part. I wasn’t. I was being selfish. The acceptance into the group allowed me to pursue my personal goals, but it failed to lead me to get to know the experiences and trauma that others have endured in this country. I related to race in a similar bubble to the one in which I grew up. This bubble is diverse, but sheltered through sports and the opportunities that come from it. I have been privileged, as I always have been, to experience race in this way. But it failed to force me to learn. I never felt compelled to act. I never truly listened. And we arrive at today. Our world will be changed forever by the intersection of two separate events in our country. The COVID-19 pandemic and the movement toward racial equality has captured the nation. The former will change the way we interact physically. We know that. My challenge to myself and to you is that, as we come back together as a society, we allow the latter to forever change the way we interact emotionally. It is time to listen. It is time to pay attention. It is time to change. THE OFFICIAL KIDS’ CLUB OF VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETICS 2 PLANS TO CHOOSE FROM ORANGE LEVEL: FREE MAROON LEVEL: $35 Visit hokiesports.com/hokiekidsclub to join! Thanks to relationships like the one between Wabissa Bede and Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young, Virginia Tech Athletics has proven it can lead the way in fostering better race relations in today’s society.