Student-Athletes Share the Story of SCAR
2/5/2021
Student-athletes Michael Johnson, Semaj Sorhaindo and Odicci Alexander shared the story of the formation of SCAR, Student Coalition Against Racial Injustice, at James Madison University and why they are involved with the group.
“It all started in the summer,” said Michael Johnson, a redshirt junior on the James Madison football team. “In July, after having been in quarantine since March, my friends and I on the football team had been hearing about the constant racial injustices and acts of racism by the police, the ones who are sworn to protect us from those very acts.”
“Many students would tweet and post on social media but I felt they weren’t being heard the way they need to be,” stated Semaj Sorhaindo former a football student-athlete at JMU.“It may be my past of not speaking up for myself and the emotional weight it left on my soul that made me immediately speak up for my fellow people.”
SS: “I grew up with the nickname “Gentle Giant” given to me by my mom and kindergarten teacher. I was always the biggest kid but I was also the most cautious, some could say I would naturally walk on eggshells. I’m an introvert who has no problem keeping to myself in my room alone, that hates confrontation and will try to reach a compromise as soon as possible. This made it extremely hard for me to speak up about things that concerned me and sometimes that would emotionally affect me. So, when I saw everything going with George Floyd, it sparked something in me, a voice that has been waiting years for me to speak up.”
SS: “After the years of discrimination and denial of loving myself, I had to make things right within me and say what I felt. I wanted to create a platform where voices could always be heard because I knew what it felt like not to have that chance to be heard. I got a message from Seth, a teammate, who had similar feelings as me and wanted to keep the conversations going.”
MJ: “…my friends and I knew this was a time where something needed to be done. One of the founders of the group, Seth Weaver texted me, Semaj Sorhaindo and a couple others about starting a group to talk about issues around the community and help inform people on those issues.”
SS: “We kept finding likeminded people who wanted to keep the narratives going. We talked about creating a platform for the general mass of people so they can feel connected to the student athletes and feel like they can have the ability to speak up for things they believe in.”
MJ: “From that moment on, we ran with it, we handled logistics, I came up with the name, it was voted on, Semaj became our president and here we are. With the help of Seth Weaver, Semaj, Percy Agyei Obese, Alex Miller, Jack Hannah, Mike Greene and Liam Kauthen, the Student Coalition Against Racial Injustice (SCAR) was born.”
SCAR was formed in July 2020 and became an official group on campus a month later in Aug. 2020. It originated from student-athletes but has formed into a group that welcomes all students on campus.
SS: “Soon an executive board for SCAR, made of passionate people, was created. The members the exec board are: Mike Johnson who is the current SAAC representative for Football, Mahogany Baker member of the advisory board of UCC, Zenobia Lee-Nelson who was the co-founder for Shades of Pride, Tahje Williams who is the current secretary of Black Student Alliance and Treasure of Shades of Pride, and lastly Kyel Towler the former president of the Black Student Alliance. All my exec board members have been former presidents or representatives from other organizations which made the cohesion from right out of the gate.”
MJ: “We started the group because it was time for a change in the Harrisonburg community, especially JMU being that it is a majority white school. Moreover, SCAR means a lot to me because it’s something that is here to stay. It’s an organization that makes a difference in our community that we’ll see years from now still fighting to make change. It also means a lot to me because the people involved truly believe in it. Each and every person on our executive board, Semaj Sorhaindo, Mahogany Chanel, Zenobia Lee Nelson, Kyel Towler and Tahje Williams have literally poured their hearts, time, money and effort into making this organization what it is.
The executive board for SCAR meets weekly to discuss topics in the community and the world. The members work on planning events and ideas to bring to the general body, such as the march on campus held back in Aug. and partnering with Mercy House in Harrisonburg, Va.
“The importance of having SCAR is to provide a platform where minorities and ally’s voices can be heard,” said James Madison softball player Odicci Alexander. “Our vision/goal is to create a University and community where SCAR does not have to exist, and to reach that goal we as a whole are fighting for racial justice on campus and off campus through self-engagement, self-awareness and helping to spread knowledge as said in our mission statement.”
SS: “It was created to bring awareness to the community of Social and racial injustice with hopes to increase the inclusion in the Harrisonburg community alongside JMU to create a better place for African Americans and minorities alike. This is just our vision as our mission is to make sure anyone with a problem or conflict in terms of social/racial can be brought to the light as soon as possible. The goal of SCAR is to leave our mark and make way for a better-unified tomorrow for all.”
MJ: “Having SCAR on campus at JMU helps black students to know they aren’t the only ones here that have gone through racial prejudices and mistreatment. Whether one experienced it here at JMU, their hometown or both. It also helps to educate the white students and people of other ethnic backgrounds on what blacks have endured in the past as well as on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, we don’t just educate and help other students, but we also go beyond that to make it a priority to donate to nonprofits, visit schools and participate in peaceful protest.”
The march on campus that was held in on Aug. 26 in response to the defacement of the Spirit Rock after it was painted with the words “Black Lives Matter.” SCAR held the march to make awareness of social injustice not only involving the Spirit Rock but other areas of the community as well.
MJ: “With that all being said, what excites me the most about SCAR is its future potential. With that, it’s two-fold, one for the members and who we’re able to impact in the community but also the future of SCAR and where it will be years from now. “
There are currently 103 JMU student-athletes that are members of SCAR. The coalition meets once month primarily focusing on educating, getting to know other members and informing each person of opportunities coming up that they could all do to help make the community better. At general body meetings there are open conversations about events happening in the United States and the world.
OC: “Something exciting about SCAR is being able to have an open platform to voice your own stories. Individuals can share their stories about how they have dealt with racial injustice, microaggressions, or being an ally during a past or current situation. On the other hand, just as you can tell your own story there are other individuals who have stories that relate so much to your own. As a group that is something that brings us closer together to continue to fight for our goal.”
SS: “At the end of the day we are all human and we need to be selfless and unified to better us all as a whole.”
To find out more information about SCAR check out their Instagram @scar_jmu.
