dozo is dc
Cardozo Education Campus in Washington, DC is an incredibly diverse family. It embodies a part of the American dream for many of the young men that I coached as a DCPS volunteer for three years, and I’m super proud to be a Clerk. The faces in these photos come from many different countries - Guinea, Ethiopia, Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico.
Several of our players had recently arrived in the US after crossing the border to seek asylum in DC, many of them only speaking Spanish. In spite of the challenges these young men are facing to catch up to their peers, I believe my responsibility as a leader is to ensure that nobody is left behind. As Washingtonians and Americans we can only be as strong as our weakest links, and it is our duty to provide ALL of our youth equal access and opportunities to be successful in life, no matter where they are from.
As their coach and mentor, I made sure our team at Cardozo provided a safe space and a family environment to grow and learn within. Along the way, we made it to the city championship game and finished as runners-up to my alma mater, Wilson. Not too shabby. Most importantly, they left our group with a heightened sense of self.
One quick story: In the summer of 2020, one of my former student-athletes was illegally detained by ICE and threatened with deportation. Thanks to swift legal action and letters of support by myself and several members of the Cardozo community, this young man was released from custody to rejoin his DC family and his infant child. In spite of all the negative things we know are true about policing tactics and misplaced priorities in law enforcement, the power of collective action to keep this young man’s family together was too overwhelmingly positive to stray from the facts: siempre somos más fuerte unidos - we’re always stronger together.
Have you given back to your community recently?