Photo by: Tommy Martino
Montana men’s basketball creates, fills Diversity Education Library on campus
1/18/2021 3:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana assistant basketball coach Zach Payne's daughter is only 2 years old, so she's not yet at the age where she can read. But when she can, Payne wants Averie to be able to see people who look like her in the literature she reads and the things she consumes.
His daughter, and the world she grows up in, is part of what inspired Payne and the Montana men's basketball program to build Montana's Diversity Education Library, which debuted on campus on Monday, in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
Little Free Library is a non-profit that aims to unite communities, inspire readers and expand book access to all people. The concept is simple, and one many readers have likely seen across Montana and the United States. Throughout neighborhoods, small wooden libraries are installed and used to provide free access to books. People are encouraged to freely borrow a book that interests them, read it and return it when they are finished, and even add more literature to the library.
In the Missoula area, there are more than 40 Little Free Library locations registered, including the newest one on campus, thanks to the Montana men's basketball program. On Monday afternoon, the new library – located outside of the Phyllis J. Washington Education Center on campus – was filled with books.
Instead of traditional books, however, this library was stocked with anti-racism and minority-themed literature, either purchased by the men's basketball team or donated from their personal collections.
"I've always believed that education is the No. 1 solution to anything," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "Education is the one thing that can change perspective in the United States and make us more united, so this is a big deal to me."
The hope for the library is twofold.
First, that through this free library, and the books inside of it, that the University of Montana and Missoula community can become more educated about minority themes, and learn how to stand up for social justice and fight against racism.
Second, the hope is that it will continue to grow. Montana's men's basketball team filled the library, but now it is on the community to keep it filled. Readers are not only encouraged to borrow books that are of interest to them, but to also fill the library with other resources that can help educate their friends, classmates and neighbors.
"This was started by the men's basketball program, but it's a community project," Payne said. "We want to encourage others to not only participate and read the books inside of the library, but also donate their own."
Gallery: (1-18-2021) MBB: Diversity Appreciation Library
The initial thought would be to install a library in the neighborhood of DeCuire or Payne, but that quickly transitioned to campus, in a place where there is plenty of foot traffic – both among University students, faculty and staff, and the general population.
The next step was to fill the library with not only books for adults, but also for children.
"One of the reasons this was really important to us is that all of us coaches have young kids, and for Travis (DeCuire) and myself, our kids are Black and Brown," Payne said. "It's really important to us that our kids are represented in books and literature, and that was one of the reasons that motivated us to start this library.
"I want my daughter, when she gets to the point where she can read books, to see people who look like her and read about people who have had similar experiences as her. Having books that have diverse types of people and backgrounds that she can read about makes me really proud."
The library is the next step for Montana's men's basketball team, which began having social-justice-themed meetings throughout the summer and fall. The conversations began over Zoom, while many student-athletes were back in their hometowns, and continued once they returned to campus. The overarching message was that while change in the United States was needed, it takes more than words to do so.
"We've done a ton of Zoom calls, and we talked with President (Seth) Bodnar earlier this year, just trying to figure out how we can make a difference on campus and within our communities," Payne said. "The overarching theme was that we can't just be talk. We challenged each of our guys to take action. If we want to be part of change, we have to give ourselves to something and be part of something tangible."
The first initiative was voter registration. The men's basketball team had 100-percent voter registration among its eligible voters, with each participating in the country's November 2020 election, many for the first time. Not only did the team register and vote, but it also spent several weeks leading up to the election encouraging peers and classmates to register, and took time to meet with others to learn and understand specific candidates and ballot initiatives.
The next initiative is the message the team wears on its uniforms. On the backs of each jersey is the word 'Solidarity', a unifying encouragement for the team, and a way to keep the conversation about racial inclusion and equality at the forefront. On the front of each player's jersey, through the planning of Montana's Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Committee – which sophomore Kyle Owens and associate head coach Chris Cobb serve on – is a patch that all Montana student-athletes will wear this year, with the words 'Equality. Justice. Unity.' displayed.
"This is very special, being part of the men's basketball team and having a coaching staff who cares about us not only on the basketball court, but academically and how we can make impact in the community here in Missoula," sophomore Freddy Brown III said. "I think today shows that we're not just putting the word 'solidarity' on the backs of our jerseys, but that we're trying to make it happen in the real world."
As for the next step for the Montana men's basketball program? That is still to be determined, but it plans to continue using its platform to fight for change.
"I think this is just the start," Payne said. "Our hope is that this can take off and we can build more libraries across campus, in our neighborhoods and in our neighborhoods that each of us grew up in. There's a lot of work left to be done, and we're happy to be doing a small part to help make changes."
In addition to the Free Little Library that launched on campus on Monday, the University of Montana's Mansfield Library faculty have curated a collection of resources to assist in understanding systemic racism and to help connect the community with local and national resources. Additionally, on March 3, all are invited to join a President's Lecture Series speaker as Barbara Tatum engages the Montana community in a virtual discussion around race. Tatum served as the ninth president of Spelman College, the oldest historically black women's college in the United States, and is the author of the acclaimed book 'Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria and Other Conversations About Race.'
His daughter, and the world she grows up in, is part of what inspired Payne and the Montana men's basketball program to build Montana's Diversity Education Library, which debuted on campus on Monday, in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
Little Free Library is a non-profit that aims to unite communities, inspire readers and expand book access to all people. The concept is simple, and one many readers have likely seen across Montana and the United States. Throughout neighborhoods, small wooden libraries are installed and used to provide free access to books. People are encouraged to freely borrow a book that interests them, read it and return it when they are finished, and even add more literature to the library.
In the Missoula area, there are more than 40 Little Free Library locations registered, including the newest one on campus, thanks to the Montana men's basketball program. On Monday afternoon, the new library – located outside of the Phyllis J. Washington Education Center on campus – was filled with books.
Instead of traditional books, however, this library was stocked with anti-racism and minority-themed literature, either purchased by the men's basketball team or donated from their personal collections.
"I've always believed that education is the No. 1 solution to anything," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "Education is the one thing that can change perspective in the United States and make us more united, so this is a big deal to me."
The hope for the library is twofold.
First, that through this free library, and the books inside of it, that the University of Montana and Missoula community can become more educated about minority themes, and learn how to stand up for social justice and fight against racism.
Second, the hope is that it will continue to grow. Montana's men's basketball team filled the library, but now it is on the community to keep it filled. Readers are not only encouraged to borrow books that are of interest to them, but to also fill the library with other resources that can help educate their friends, classmates and neighbors.
"This was started by the men's basketball program, but it's a community project," Payne said. "We want to encourage others to not only participate and read the books inside of the library, but also donate their own."
The initial thought would be to install a library in the neighborhood of DeCuire or Payne, but that quickly transitioned to campus, in a place where there is plenty of foot traffic – both among University students, faculty and staff, and the general population.
The next step was to fill the library with not only books for adults, but also for children.
"One of the reasons this was really important to us is that all of us coaches have young kids, and for Travis (DeCuire) and myself, our kids are Black and Brown," Payne said. "It's really important to us that our kids are represented in books and literature, and that was one of the reasons that motivated us to start this library.
"I want my daughter, when she gets to the point where she can read books, to see people who look like her and read about people who have had similar experiences as her. Having books that have diverse types of people and backgrounds that she can read about makes me really proud."
The library is the next step for Montana's men's basketball team, which began having social-justice-themed meetings throughout the summer and fall. The conversations began over Zoom, while many student-athletes were back in their hometowns, and continued once they returned to campus. The overarching message was that while change in the United States was needed, it takes more than words to do so.
"We've done a ton of Zoom calls, and we talked with President (Seth) Bodnar earlier this year, just trying to figure out how we can make a difference on campus and within our communities," Payne said. "The overarching theme was that we can't just be talk. We challenged each of our guys to take action. If we want to be part of change, we have to give ourselves to something and be part of something tangible."
The first initiative was voter registration. The men's basketball team had 100-percent voter registration among its eligible voters, with each participating in the country's November 2020 election, many for the first time. Not only did the team register and vote, but it also spent several weeks leading up to the election encouraging peers and classmates to register, and took time to meet with others to learn and understand specific candidates and ballot initiatives.
The next initiative is the message the team wears on its uniforms. On the backs of each jersey is the word 'Solidarity', a unifying encouragement for the team, and a way to keep the conversation about racial inclusion and equality at the forefront. On the front of each player's jersey, through the planning of Montana's Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Committee – which sophomore Kyle Owens and associate head coach Chris Cobb serve on – is a patch that all Montana student-athletes will wear this year, with the words 'Equality. Justice. Unity.' displayed.
The third initiative was the library that was unveiled on Monday.𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 [ sol-i-dar-i-tee ] 𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯: an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes.#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/V0lg8I0RSr
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) December 24, 2020
"This is very special, being part of the men's basketball team and having a coaching staff who cares about us not only on the basketball court, but academically and how we can make impact in the community here in Missoula," sophomore Freddy Brown III said. "I think today shows that we're not just putting the word 'solidarity' on the backs of our jerseys, but that we're trying to make it happen in the real world."
As for the next step for the Montana men's basketball program? That is still to be determined, but it plans to continue using its platform to fight for change.
"I think this is just the start," Payne said. "Our hope is that this can take off and we can build more libraries across campus, in our neighborhoods and in our neighborhoods that each of us grew up in. There's a lot of work left to be done, and we're happy to be doing a small part to help make changes."
In addition to the Free Little Library that launched on campus on Monday, the University of Montana's Mansfield Library faculty have curated a collection of resources to assist in understanding systemic racism and to help connect the community with local and national resources. Additionally, on March 3, all are invited to join a President's Lecture Series speaker as Barbara Tatum engages the Montana community in a virtual discussion around race. Tatum served as the ninth president of Spelman College, the oldest historically black women's college in the United States, and is the author of the acclaimed book 'Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria and Other Conversations About Race.'
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