When Brittany Korsah made her recruiting visit to Binghamton during her senior year in high school, she decided that she was meant to be a part of the track & field program. This was back in 2015. As an African-American athlete, however, she noticed the lack of similar people within the University and the athletics program. That lack of representation created challenges for students of color. She wanted to be a part of a solution.

"I knew that Binghamton University was where I should be," she said. "But I also thought that people of color like myself should have a better representation. Everyone who comes here should feel comfortable and included."

As Janelle Williams was working on her senior thesis last year, she also thought about the same issue. As a sociology major, her senior thesis was entitled "The Invisibility of Black Women in Collegiate Sports" and made her think about ways she could contribute to the overall culture at Binghamton.

"The more I was doing research, the more I thought we needed to have space for student-athletes of color here in the athletics department," she said. "Doing my thesis really motivated me to do something about it."

In the fall of 2019, Williams, Korsah and some of their other African-American teammates started talking about that topic as a group. It was there that an idea was hatched.

"We were having a conversation in the Events Center last October," Williams said. "Brittany had mentioned how another school had an informal group for student-athletes of color. We thought it would be a great idea on our campus.

As sprinters, Williams, Korsah and some of the other African-American athletes worked with assistant track & field coach Jesse Fuca. A former Binghamton team captain, he was very familiar with the culture of the program and campus. When it came time to bringing up the idea to a staff member in the department, they had little doubt who to turn to.

"We talked with Coach Fuca," Williams said. "It was a lengthy conversation and we explained to him how something like that would be very beneficial on our campus. Jesse took it and ran with it. He was so supportive from the beginning."

 

"The initial discussions that sparked this group evolved out of conversations I frequently have with my student-athletes," Fuca said. "I try to routinely check in on their well-being outside of athletics, and one particular day, Janelle, Brittany, and Latoya Shand had a long conversation with me about their experiences as Black women at Binghamton. My biggest message to them was that the significance of them sharing their thoughts was not lost on me."

While Williams and Korsah and their female teammates were talking with Fuca, Tyler Shepherd of the men's track & field team was beginning to have similar thoughts of his own last year. He was already involved with the Black Student Union on campus but his track competition schedule made it tough for him to make all of the events.

"I am currently involved with the Black Student Union on campus and I ran for an e-board office this past year," he said. "But after looking over my schedule, I realized that I wouldn't be around a lot during the spring semester. It's harder to be as involved on campus as much when you are an athlete. For me, I didn't have a lot of time to connect with other Black students on campus."

Shepherd is also a sprinter on the track team and like the female track & field sprinters, he knew the first person he should turn to.

"Jesse Fuca has been more than just a coach to me," he said. "He has been a mentor and a friend. I was able to explain my situation to him and that's when he said he had similar conversations with Janelle and Brittany and a few other members of the team. All of them wanted to make a difference and start something new on campus to allow us to have community among athletes of color. I was all for it and communicated to them that whatever plans they have, to include me in."

Williams, Korsah and Shepherd knew that for such a group to be a success, they had to talk to student-athletes of color on other teams besides track. They found more than enough support when they brought up the topic.

Tyra Wilson of the volleyball team had wanted to find an organization on campus for racial minority students. When she heard of the idea to start one among the student-athletes, she was thrilled.

"I was immediately and extremely excited because I was trying to find such a group," she said. "With this group focused specifically on minority student-athletes, I knew I wanted to do more than just go to the meetings. I wanted to be involved on a greater level."

Essie Bonney of the women's soccer team was contacted by Korsah to let her know that the group was in the works. She too was on board from the moment she got the word.

"What I heard about it, I knew I would join immediately," she said. "I love the mission of the group and everything they want to accomplish for the student-athletes of color."

Before the current COVID-19 pandemic forced Binghamton University to go online during the Spring 2020 semester, Fuca asked the student-athletes he talked with to draft what such a group would look like. Together, they left no stone unturned.

"Once they all were working together, things started to take shape quickly," Fuca said. "They did an amazing job in crafting a vision for a space where they could empower athletes of color, connect and bond with one another and foster a positive community."

On behalf of the student-athletes, Fuca's next job was to present the concept of the group to Binghamton Athletics Director Patrick Elliott. He found a leader who was 100 percent supportive of the idea.

"When I spoke with Patrick Elliott, my role was purely to advocate for the group because they had really done all of the hard work," Fuca said. "He was incredibly impressed with everything that they had put together and without hesitation threw his support behind it. His only follow-up question for me at the end of our first meeting was how he could help."

"I was so impressed with the work done by our student-athletes to develop this group," Elliott said. "I saw that it was a very important initiative which would serve to enrich the experience of our student-athletes of color."

 

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the Binghamton campus to a halt in the spring, the entire athletics department staff started holding Zoom meetings. It was at one of those meetings early in the summer that Elliott introduced Korsah, Williams and Shepherd to the rest of the department to talk about their idea for the group. The support they received from everyone was overwhelming.

"It was really nice and refreshing to see so many coaches and athletes express support for this group," Shepherd said. "We realized how much support we have in the athletic department."

With the backing of the Athletic Department, the five student-athletes formally launched the Binghamton Student-Athletes of Color for Success (SACS) in August. Its mission statement consisted of four core principles:

- To foster a community of solidarity among student-athletes of color in the athletics department
- To create a space where experiences of issues and race can be discussed
- To provide student-athletes of color with opportunities for growth and development
- Empower student-athletes of color to strive for success in every regard

Korsah assumed the role of President while Shepherd was named the Vice President. Wilson assumed the position of Historian while Bonney filled the role of Treasurer. Two other track athletes -- Dominique Jackson and Nia Joyner -- assumed the roles of Secretary and Events Coordinator respectively. Williams, meanwhile, became an alumni advisor, having graduated last May.

For Shepherd, who was once vying for an E-Board spot with the Black Student Union, his new role with SACS gave him the chance to reach out.

"I have spoken to the Black Student Union about SACS and they have been very helpful in giving me ideas and activities to get started," he said. "They have been very receptive and even offered to collaborate with us in the future. They have offered all the support we could ask for."

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the SACS has yet to have a formal meeting. But they are already flowing with ideas.

"We want to have current event discussions maybe once a month or twice a month," Shepherd said. "It would be great to talk openly talking about our experiences within the last month or so in our lives. But not everything has to be serious and we would also want to have game nights."

Beyond the campus, however, the SACS also wants to make an impact outside of Binghamton. The leadership group intends to reach out to the local community and has already started to reach back to alumni student-athletes of color.

One alumni who they reached out to is Kai Moon who was on the women's basketball team and graduated this past May. While she is no longer at Binghamton, Moon is excited for the potential of the SACS.

"I commend the current Binghamton student-athletes of color for creating this organization," she said. "It is so important for young people of color to have communities where others look like them and can relate to their life experiences or the way in which current worldly events affect them. It's amazing that this organization reaches out to other like alums and the Binghamton community and I am honored to be a part of it."

Temi Bajulaiye graduated from Binghamton in 2016 and was a member of the track & field program. He too was excited to hear about the formation of SACS.

"The formation of the Student-Athletes of Color for Success is going to have an amazing impact on the student-athlete experience at Binghamton," he said. "I was fortunate to be on a team with other black student-athletes and it definitely helped me during my time at Binghamton. This group will give colored student-athletes who don't have as many teammates who look like the place to be themselves."

The SACS has yet to have a formal event but the groundwork has been set for a successful organization. They have started an instagram account which has been followed by student-athletes, coaches and administrators. In short, the vision that Korsah, Williams and Shepherd had a year ago is on the verge of becoming a reality and they could not be happier.

"Seeing a vision that I dreamed about for a while and had such a passion for actually happen is the best feeling ever," Korsah said. "It's still surreal to me. I'm so grateful for all the support we have gotten and I'm very excited to see where this club goes and the impact it will have on all the student-athletes of color."

"We're so grateful and appreciative of all the support we've received," Williams said. "In retrospect, this is something that should've happened long before this, but it's good to know that athletes of color will now have a support system that was intentionally built with their well-being and futures in mind."