For years, Howard University’s women’s basketball team has been taking a knee to protest the mistreatment and brutalization of Black Americans by law enforcement. But on Wednesday night, at a game between Howard and South Carolina State University, that tradition – which had been a source of pride for many players and students – came to an end.
During the national anthem, only one team was on the court. As fans stood across the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, the Howard women’s basketball team remained in the locker room to adhere to a new policy from the Howard University Department of Athletics that bans kneeling during the anthem and requires standing.
The athletics department issued the policy early this month and gave the team the option of remaining in the locker room during the anthem.
Some members of the team reiterated the purpose of their protest.
“Coach Ty [Grace] has instilled in us that it’s bigger than kneeling,” said senior forward Zennia Thomas at a press conference after the game. “I mean, we’re supporting a cause that’s been going on since 2020. Unfortunately, we have to abide by certain rules, but we’re still gonna stand on our beliefs and our morals.”
Howard defeated South Carolina State 75-43 to advance in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament. Howard went on to win the championship, defeating Norfolk State 53-46 Saturday.
The new policy was announced after the Howard players kneeled during the national anthem prior to a game against the United States Military Academy, according to The Hilltop, the university’s student newspaper.
Capital B reached out to the team’s starting players, but they did not respond by the time of publication. Student athletes were prohibited from speaking on the topic, according to the university’s newspaper.
The team started taking the knee in 2020, following a trend that many credit to Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL player and racial justice activist, who began kneeling during NFL games in 2016.
Brian Davis, the team’s associate head coach, told the Hilltop: “Our program has been kneeling since COVID, especially when all the social justice things were happening.” He added: “All the young men and women Black of color [who] were passing away from the hands of police brutality, we decided to take a stand against social injustice.”
At Wednesday’s press conference, Grace, who sat beside Thomas, said the team will have further conversations after the season, but she expressed how proud she was of how her team handled the situation.
