Grand Rapids, Mich. — When Lloyd Brown stepped onto the basketball court at Aquinas College in 1950, he was not just taking the floor.
He was breaking a barrier.
Eighteen years before several neighboring institutions integrated their athletic programs, Brown became the first Black student-athlete in AQ history. He didn't just participate — he transformed the program. He rewrote record books. He was carried off the court by teammates in victory and, in doing so, Brown carried something larger than a basketball.
He carried possibility.
Then there was Art Lee. A three-sport Tommie/Saint, Lee was an elite athlete for AQ and also served as a player-coach for the tennis team at a time when most Black students were still excluded from athletic rosters. A true pioneer, he would go on to become the first recipient of the prestigious Joseph Baker Award.
Seventy-six years later, Black student-athletes at Aquinas no longer fight for access to the court or field. They compete. They lead. They win. They graduate.
But history doesn't disappear when the anthem plays.
For some, the Aquinas jersey carries more than a name.
It carries pride.
It carries representation.
And sometimes, it carries weight.
Living in Two Worlds
For senior softball player Alea Fisher, that weight is layered.
"To me, being a student-athlete of color playing at the collegiate level is living in two worlds at one time," Fisher said. "Representing my school and my team, while also being seen differently because of my race."
Softball has historically lacked diversity. Growing up, Fisher rarely saw players who looked like her.
"I think people don't always realize the emotional weight that it comes with," she said. "I'm not just playing for myself. I'm being watched, judged, and sometimes stereotyped in ways my teammates might not experience."
There were moments she felt supported. And moments she felt pressure — the unspoken responsibility to represent more than just her position in the lineup.
"There was a time where I wouldn't have been allowed to be in the position I am in," Fisher reflected. "I don't take that for granted."
When she steps onto the field, that awareness is present.
"I feel like I have to prove I deserve to be there — that my people deserve to be here."
That is pride.
But it is also responsibility.
The Pressure to Be Perfect
For men's track and field athlete Marcus Mitchell, representation has come with a different kind of pressure.
"My freshman year there was a teammate of mine that would pick on me and everything I did or said," Mitchell shared honestly. "It helped me grow into being more patient with people."
But growth didn't come without cost.
"It helped me know I needed to be almost perfect — or try to be — so I wouldn't be talked about. To work harder than everyone else so they didn't think I was scared or slow or even dumb."
That quiet need to over-perform — to leave no doubt — is not written in playbooks.
It is felt.
Yet Mitchell also sees progress.
"It feels more normal to be a student of color in college now compared to when our grandparents went to school," he said. "It's a beautiful thing to see the diversity academically and athletically."
Both truths can exist at once.
Progress has been made.
And pressure still lingers.
Breaking the "Single Story"
For track and field athlete Calena Foster, stereotypes surfaced early.
Competing at a predominantly white high school, she often heard the same narrative — that success on the track was somehow tied to skin color rather than sacrifice.
"It started to make me feel less of a person," Foster said. "Like I was only being seen for the color of my skin rather than all the hard work I had gone through."
Reduced to a "single story."
Eventually, she reframed it.
"Why should I let that affect how I feel?" she said. "If I want something, I have to work for it. I wouldn't let it affect how I performed."
Being an athlete, she says, shaped her beyond competition.
"It has hugely impacted who I am as a person. It taught me that I can get through any obstacle."
Strength doesn't always look loud.
Sometimes it looks like choosing to keep running.
Perspective & Gratitude
For men's basketball player Cameron "Cam" Moore, the experience feels different — but no less meaningful.
"It means a lot to me to have the privilege to be a student-athlete of color at the college level," Moore said. "I try every day not to take it for granted because I know some of the things that other people had to go through to make this a reality."
He remembers hostile environments at away games growing up — moments that required unity and composure.
He also remembers something else.
"I've had people come up to me after games and say I reminded them of their younger son," Moore shared. "That means something."
Representation can be quiet.
It can be unplanned.
Sometimes it's simply showing up and competing with excellence.
"Everybody's road is different," Moore said. "We should celebrate each journey."
Faith & Unity
For cross country runner Shema Reponse, the experience at Aquinas has largely felt welcoming.
"Being a student-athlete of color in 2026, for me, it feels normal," Reponse said. "Everyone around me is welcoming."
He acknowledges that history has not always reflected that reality — but his perspective is rooted in faith.
"We were created in God's image," he said. "There's no point in separating or having negative energy about each other."
His experience matters as much as any other.
Not every story is marked by tension.
Not every experience carries visible weight.
The spectrum itself is the story.
Inspired by Those Who Came Before
When Fisher talks about inspiration, she speaks of AJ Andrews — the first female Rawlings Gold Glove winner.
"Seeing her succeed showed me that I do belong here."
Mitchell speaks of legacy — not professional athletes, but his parents.
"I wanted to continue the legacy they built."
Moore mentions Derek Jeter and Isaiah Livers — names tied to Michigan, tied to possibility.
The throughline is clear.
From Lloyd Brown in 1950.
To athletes watching LSU softball in 2016.
To Aquinas student-athletes competing in 2026.
History is not abstract.
It is personal.
The Pride Remains
There is pride in these voices.
There is gratitude.
There is acknowledgment that things have improved.
And there is honesty about the emotional layers that remain.
"I am so proud to represent my community," Fisher said. "We are here because we deserve it — like everyone else."
The story of Black student-athletes at Aquinas did not end with integration.
It continues — in classrooms, on courts, on tracks, and in conversations that reflect growth and accountability.
The Rest of the Story
In Part II of this series, Aquinas student-athletes will share their perspectives on belonging, visibility, institutional responsibility, and what it means to build a stronger future together.
Because honoring Black History Month is not only about remembering the past.
It is about listening in the present.
And moving forward with intention.
