Inspired by downtown’s End Racism Now painting, TCU athletes share message on campus
TCU football player Kellton Hollins called it a powerful moment when he signed his name on the ‘End Racism Now’ painting on Main Street in downtown Fort Worth in late June. That sparked an idea to do something similar on TCU’s campus.
Hollins emailed athletic director Jeremiah Donati and chancellor Victor Boschini a couple days later, pitching the idea. They both approved and a month later Hollins was leading a group of athletes Thursday in painting the message just outside Schollmaier Arena.
“For me as a Black male, as a Black student, as a Black student-athlete, it was just very powerful to be a part of something like that [downtown], especially in today’s climate,” said Hollins, a senior offensive lineman. “When I realized the impact it had on me, I was like, ‘I’ve got to bring it back to the campus because it may benefit my brothers, my teammates and my sisters on this campus in the same manner.’”
TCU is encouraging students, faculty and staff to join the movement by signing their names and pledging to “end racism.”
Hollins liked the idea of using the phrase ‘End Racism,’ staying consistent with the mural on Main Street, near the convention center. It’s a phrase that applies across the board.
“Racism isn’t just about being a Black male. It’s about all the minorities,” Hollins said. “It’s very inclusive to everyone who experiences systemic racism, no matter what. It’s for everybody that experiences some form of racism and we want it to end now.”
That’s a message university officials are getting behind.
Hollins was joined by dozens of his football teammates as well as the men’s and women’s basketball programs, the volleyball team and the women’s soccer team. Those are the only sports on campus right now.
Football coach Gary Patterson and his staff also joined the project, signing their names on the sidewalk just above where the mural is being painted.
“This day is about Kellton’s idea with all the athletic teams to be another action and voice toward ending racial injustice of any kind,” Patterson said.
Patterson has encouraged his players to use their platform to speak out on issues of this nature. He attracted national attention Monday when news broke that he repeated a racial slur while making a point to one of his players to stop using it.
Patterson has since apologized for saying the slur, and dozens of former and current players have come to his defense. Donati echoed that, saying he’s proud of how Patterson has handled the situation.
“I know this is something Gary’s passionate about,” Donati said, adding this was in the works before the events of last week.
“But it has helped provide more closure for everyone. I’ve been really impressed with the way that Gary has handled everything thus far. He’s holding himself accountable, his players are holding him accountable. I know he made a big mistake. He knows that too and he’s apologized for it.
“His heart was in the right place and it was well-intended but it was a mistake and he’s learned from it. That’s all I can hope for as an athletics director. I’m really encouraged by what I’m seeing with him, our coaches and our team.”
Donati has spent the summer working on ways to improve the athletic department amid the racial reawakening following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody.
Donati has encouraged Black student-athletes to visit with him about their experiences on campus and created a council on diversity, equity and inclusion. Seeing a student-athlete such as Hollins take initiative to further the conversation and take action is heartening to Donati.
“One of the hallmarks of our society is peaceful protest and thoughtful personal expression,” Donati said. “This is a great example of when you make an effort to take that approach, you can have a big impact.”
For Hollins, it’s encouraging to have the support of the most recognizable people on campus such as Patterson, Donati, Boschini and men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon.
“The hope is for student-athletes to be engaged and create their own initiatives,” Dixon said. “It’s exciting to see that and be here to support them. But it’s got to be their decision and their choices.”
Hollins is constantly asking himself, ‘Am I doing enough?’ He’s studied the Freedom Riders of the 1960s and other civil rights groups. Many of them were led by young people and college students at the time.
That’s why he’s compelled to spearhead projects such as the ‘End Racism’ painting on campus.
“We’ve been fighting for this for a very long,” Hollins said. “You think about the segregation act that passed in 1965 and we’re in 2020 still fighting for equality and still fighting for a lot of things they were talking about back then. It’s a fight that we have to continue to fight.
“That’s why the statement is ‘End Racism.’ We want it to come to an end. I think it’s very important for my age group to stand up and fight for what they believe in.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 4:20 PM.
