Why I Won't Stick To Sports: Kamal-Craig Golaube
It is time for student-athletes to use the power of their voice
Kamal-Craig Golaube
Why I Won’t Stick to Sports is a first-person series written by Colorado State student-athletes. Nationally, athletes are told to “stick to sports”, but as members of the community, they have ideas, motivations and a passion for creating meaningful change in the world. Their talents and knowledge are not limited to fields of play. In their own words, this is why our student-athletes will not stick to sports.
Being a student-athlete, I have had positive and negative experiences within the sport I participate in which have made me the individual I am today. As a student-athlete we are held to a high standard by our own peers, instructors, coaches and families as this experience is quite different than just being a student at your institution.
WE as student-athletes DO NOT REALIZE how much power we have to MAKE A CHANGE and DIFFERENCE within our institution, and it begins with using our voices. MY VOICE MATTERS… MY APPEARANCE MATTERS… these are MAJOR details that student-athletes forget because we just see ourselves in just our sports, but we are more than that. Whichever institution you attend, STUDENTS make up the majority of the population and that includes me. I am a STUDENT-athlete.
Intersectionality is described and was coined by Kimberle Crenshaw as the overlapping identities and experiences that express the complex disadvantages of social and political constructs. This includes race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political status and class. With the identities I hold as being a GAY BLACK STUDENT-ATHLETE, intersectionality looks at these markers not independently of each other but recognizes and explains the dynamic components that make up the individual and how they interact within society.
Colorado State University is a predominately white institution (PWI) that benefits off of minority groups. I represent multiple unrepresented groups in which my predecessors have fought and died for the rights I have now. Now it’s time to take advantage and SPEAK UP for what they believe in as they have allowed me, to this day, be able to walk, speak, and share my stories and experiences with others to make that change. This is why it is important to voice my concerns and issues that are impacting this country and my community.
How do I plan to affect change? Many individuals are making change in various ways. In my environment and using my platform, I have been an activist by taking on leadership roles, keeping up to date with issues concerning my peers and issues within this country and providing resources to implement what I preach. Here at CSU I am a part of the “Together Initiative Council” as the student-athlete representative that is working to hold the athletic department ACCOUTNABLE and ENSURING the SAFETY of black student-athletes (like myself), staff, and faculty within the staff of the athletic department. In addition, I am the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for CSU Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) that promotes the engagement of various inclusive organizations that the athletic department offers for student-athletes. I am the bridge communicator for these organizations getting to know the purpose and connecting student-athletes with these student-led programs. Furthermore, I am a member of the John Mosley Leadership Program that brings together student-athletes of color from our sports teams in order to connect with one another. And finally, I am the founder of a new organization known as Colorado State Athlete Ally that is a support group for athletes who identify within the LGBTQ+ community and allies.
These are ways that I have been active to allow for my voice to be heard and speaking out on any concerns or issues that are impacting the country. Because if something is impacting me, I know for sure that there are other students and student-athletes who may have the same feelings and looking for someone to take the initiative. I share my experience to my friends and family about the leadership roles I have taken that will hopefully inspire others to be active and express that you don’t need to have a certain title or look a certain way in order to make change.
It is time to get uncomfortable and make “brave spaces” for us to see change.
Kamal-Craig Golaube is the Student-Athlete Advisory Council director of diversity and inclusion, the founder of CSU’s Athlete Ally group, a member of the John Mosley Leadership program and the student representative on the Together Initiative council. A senior on the men’s track and field team, he has placed three times at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships and once at the indoor meet.