Black History Month is an important time for community, representation and perspective as stories are told throughout February. Third year ecology and evolutionary major Michael Blevins and midfielder for CSUN’s men’s soccer team gave insight into what it is like to be an African American student-athlete, saying this month has a positive impact for him.
“I think Black History Month is a great way to highlight the achievements of the Black community in sports, because oftentimes it’s overshadowed how much influence Black people have in sports,” Blevins said. “It is a great way to just highlight the struggle and the perseverance through the struggle and the conquering of the hardships that we went through in the past and highlighting: what can we do now?”
Representation was another topic of discussion for Blevins as he highlighted the significance of having role models and mentors to look up to.
“It is important knowing, yeah, there’s somebody like me who’s done it before, and there’s somebody like me who will help me do it,” Blevins said. “Being able to walk into a place and feel like I have somebody that knows my experience is important.”
He commented on the power of Black leaders and voices representing younger populations that are aspiring to be great as well.
Looking up to individuals, such as Malcom X and Eberechi Eze, Blevins takes notes from their experiences and says he tries to implement some of their traits into his own life. However, these individuals were not his main role models.
Blevins attributed who he is today to his family, looking to them as his leading figures. Being the youngest of six children, Blevins learned a lot from his family.
“I’ve always critically thought and talked to my siblings a lot, and so those are big inspirations to me as my family is full of the hardest working people I know,” Blevins said.
Blevins highlighted how sport leagues like the NBA or the NFL have a large percentage of African American athletes who have historically revolutionized the games.
These achievements can be overlooked at times, however, Black History Month offers the opportunity to showcase these achievements, including how these games have been affected and changed over time.
“It is an opportunity to educate people about Black history, so you can dismantle prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance about who Black people are,” Blevins said.
As an example, Blevins said, “When you see somebody walking down the street who you might view as ghetto, you don’t know this person and are referencing a subjugated community and making an assumption.”
Being inspired by family and Black history, Blevins wants to leave an impact in every room he walks into, hoping to educate others on Black history because it is American history.
As an event coordinator for CSUN’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Blevins has a handful of responsibilities in creating events for athletes and attempting to build a stronger athletic community.
“It’s deeper than blood, it’s a kinship,” Blevins said. “We are all chasing the same things whether that’s a degree, going pro and our aspiring greatness for our sports.”
