Some things are bigger than basketball. That was the case for Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin and his squad earlier this week.
After defeating Tennessee on the road last Saturday, the Tigers decided to bus from Knoxville to Alabama ahead of their matchup with Auburn on Tuesday. In between, Missouri made time to visit The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama on Monday. The Tigers visited The Legacy Museum as well, which is also in Montgomery.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened to the public in April 2018, commemorates African American men, women and children who were lynched in the United States. The Legacy Museum, which opened in the same year, displays the history of racism and slavery in America.
“It was really tough for me walking through there,” Martin said during a Friday Zoom call with reporters. “I’ve never experienced any of that. I’ve had snippets in certain locations but just to go in that facility, everyone was speechless. Normally after those events, we’ll get together as a team and say, ‘Guys, what did you think about this?’ I had nothing in me to speak about it, just because life can’t be hard for me. I’m grateful to be in this position.”
Had a powerful & important day together yesterday at the @MemPeaceJustice & @LegacyMuseum in Montgomery.Thankful for the opportunity. pic.twitter.com/IAS5WcFILN
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 26, 2021
The memorial is located on the site of a former warehouse where African Americans were enslaved. The memorial, also known as the National Lynching Memorial, uses “interactive media, sculpture, videography and exhibits to immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of the domestic slave trade, racial terrorism, the Jim Crow South and the world’s largest prison system.”
“For us to see it in person, hear those stories and see those videos, it was very awakening,” center Jeremiah Tilmon said.
Missouri forward Javon Pickett linked the trip to the discussions the team had last summer as debates over social justice protests became a national topic.
“Just seeing all those different types of stories, we talked about that stuff a lot over the summer,” Pickett said. “To actually see it (and) experience it with one another, was great. It just keeps building us a bigger bond.”
“I think it’s amazing how you sit back and talk to the guys after and, as players, just things that they say, ‘I didn’t know that. I had no clue about that.'” Martin said. “It’s American history, but they had no clue about it.”
Had a powerful & important day together yesterday at the @MemPeaceJustice & @LegacyMuseum in Montgomery.Thankful for the opportunity. pic.twitter.com/IAS5WcFILN
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 26, 2021
“Any time we have opportunities to see events — not just African-American, it could be anything that culturally we can grow from — let’s try to do that,” Martin said. “We owe it to our players.”
Credit: Source link
