By Dave Johnson
William & Mary Athletics
 
A week after George Floyd died in police custody, with the country erupting in protest, William & Mary men's basketball coach Dane Fischer arranged a team meeting on Zoom. He wanted to check in with everyone, and he encouraged them to share their feelings.
 
It was not the first time this team had talked about race in America.
 
Six months earlier, during a trip to Washington, D.C., for a game, the Tribe visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The next day, the team got together to discuss not only what they had seen but also their own experiences.
 
So in that Zoom meeting on June 3, Fischer's team wasn't starting from scratch.
 
"It began with the conversation we had in December, which was a little bit uncomfortable for some people because it was the first time they were hearing some of those stories," Fischer said. "What made this (second) conversation better is that there were a couple more uncomfortable moments.
 
"That's where we need to get to with this. People need to be able to share their opinions and their experiences, and then they need to listen to what everyone else thinks about this. We really, really need to educate ourselves."
 
Julian Boatner ('14), a Tribe assistant coach, credits Fischer for encouraging these discussions.
 
"We had conversations about real-life experiences that people on our team, on our staff, have as a Black male in the United States of America," said Boatner, who is African American. "That's the kind of environment Coach Fischer is trying to build. 
 
"A lot of coaches say when they take over a team, 'We want to become a family.' But in order to become a family, you have to peel back the layers and have real in-depth conversations. 
 
"If you're just doing surface-level things, you don't even come close. Doing things like going to the African American museum and having a conversation after, that's how you build a tight-knit group."
Bryce Barnes, a senior point guard last season, said the discussions were a good opportunity to increase understanding between different backgrounds.
 
"You can go to the museum, you can read every book on the Black experience, watch every documentary, talk to Dr. Martin Luther King himself," said Barnes, who participated in the Zoom meeting. "Until you live it, you won't really understand. 
 
"Giving my white teammates some insight on my experience and having that discussion helped them understand what's going on. I know discussions like these aren't the most comfortable to have. Just having that initial conversation, I think, put everyone a little more at ease."
 
Fischer grew up in Rochester, Minn., which according to the 2010 census was 82 percent white. He's been to the National Museum of African American History twice, and each time he had the same reaction: "That's a lot different than the history I learned growing up."
 
Fischer believes a key point needs to be addressed.
 
"Everybody is mentioning racism, and very few people are acknowledging systemic racism," he said. "A lot of people talk about being prejudiced against somebody else because of the color of their skin and stop there. 
 
"Systemic racism is racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions and can lead to discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, education, etc. There are a lot of layers to systemic racism. Not only do we need to acknowledge that, we need to fight for a change."
 
Aware he cannot fully understand their experiences, Fischer has reached out to his African American players and assistant coaches. He spoke with Tribe football coach Mike London and Senior Associate Athletics Director Anthony Henderson as well as Black friends in the coaching profession.
 
"When I was at George Mason with a roster that was predominantly Black, we had those conversations," Fischer said. "They were led by (assistant coach) Duane Simpkins, who brought it to our attention as white coaches on the staff, making sure we talk to our players about that stuff. 
 
"That has always stuck with me, and it's why I've always wanted to be very proactive on this topic. I think the goal has to be that we can't relate in terms of our experience, but we have to be able to learn enough to empathize and say, 'I'm right there with you.'"