Mutual Enrichment: Tennessee and Howard Meet in DC

The visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. in 2017 changed Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly in ways she can’t easily explain. It was just a feeling in her soul after she spent hours exploring the exhibits and learning about events that weren’t always taught in schools. 

The NMAAHC is the largest Black history museum in the country. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, and opened on September 24, 2016 as the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

As a white woman, Weekly knows she can never fully understand the history, culture and hardships of Black people. But she felt compelled to ensure her visit would have long-lasting ramifications.

“It was one of the most impactful things I have ever experienced in a very sobering way,” Weekly said. “I remember being there and thinking everybody needs to see this. Everyone in the country needs to visit and learn about this.”

Weekly’s platform as a head coach gives her the power to take her team places that can enrich her players’ understanding and teach them life lessons beyond the sport.

Weekly decided to find a way to bring her team to the DC area for a game. She wanted to play Howard University so her players could learn more about the experience of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The Covid pandemic and prior commitments delayed the trip, but each program’s schedule finally aligned this season. 

No. 9 Tennessee will be playing Howard on Monday at 5 p.m. ET at the Nationals Youth Academy in DC. The Lady Vols, who are on spring break, flew to DC on Monday and will return to Knoxville on Tuesday night. 

Howard head coach Tori Tyson helped Weekly create a travel plan that will expose the UT players to as much Black history as possible. Tyson has coordinated visits to multiple Black-owned businesses and will give the Lady Vols a tour of the Howard campus on Tuesday morning. 

“I really identify with being able to be like a bridge, both being a Black woman and coaching an HBCU but also having played at a PWI (predominantly white institution) at Nebraska,” Tyson said. “It gives me different points of view. I wish I could have known more about HBCUs when I was at Nebraska. It would have helped me with my gratitude towards my own playing career.”

Tyson became a bit exasperated over the last few days when numerous people asked if Tyson was sure Howard was hosting Tennessee and not Tennessee State. They wanted to make sure this was really a home game and not a road game.

“I finally just asked everyone, ‘Why are you asking me that?’ You don’t question anything else on the schedule,” Howard said. “There is a whole narrative that this game helps change. Really good softball players can also come to our stadium. I didn’t see the gravity of it until everyone questioned me.” 

Howard doesn’t have an on-campus field, but the Nationals Youth Academy will help give children in the DC area exposure to one of the most decorated programs in the sport. It’s the first time in program history that Howard will host a nationally ranked opponent.

“We play in one of the worst wards in DC. These kids don’t even know how special this game is,” Tyson said. “Some kids who will be there won’t have to spend a ton of money that will put their family in a financial hardship to see girls they get to see on TV. They will be right here in Southeast DC. There is definitely pride in me for that.”

After they play on Monday night, Howard and Tennessee will be having dinner together at Ben’s Chili Bowl, a DC landmark started by 91-year-old Virginia Ali and her late husband Ben in 1958. The gathering spot, which survived the 1968 DC riots, served as a place of comfort for civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., who regularly frequented the restaurant for a chili cheeseburger and conversation. 

“They are shutting down the entire restaurant to make this happen. It brought me to tears the other night since it’s tourist season and they knew it would be tough to have us there,” Tyson said. “They are going to be showing a history of the restaurant on the TVs while the teams are eating. I am super excited that our teams can experience this together. It gives me chills just thinking about it.”

On Tuesday morning, Tyson will meet the Lady Vols at Sankofa, a Black filmmaker-family owned and operated bookstore and cafe, before she shows them around Howard’s campus. The Lady Vols, who have two Black players on this year’s roster, have tickets to the NMHAAC at 10:15 and will finish the day with a picnic lunch near the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in West Potomac Park next to the National Mall. 

“I think that will probably be a time when our young ladies realize how impactful this is going to be,” Weekly said. “I think it will be a perfect way to just sit and digest it all and maybe have some conversations reflecting on what they felt and thought as they were going through the museum.”

Weekly’s drive to bring her players to DC was amplified following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the racial reckoning that followed. Weekly had some “eye-opening” discussions with former Black UT players about things they experience daily just based on their race.

“It sparked conversations that should have been talked about all the time, but unfortunately it takes an incident like that to get everyone’s attention,” Weekly said. “The problems haven’t been resolved, not even close. It’s human nature to start to just focus on other things. But we can’t just focus on it when something bad happens like George Floyd. We have to keep talking about it and understanding what needs to change.”

Tyson is grateful she can play a role in enhancing UT’s cultural experience in DC. She would love to see more programs make time to learn about diverse cultures. It’s something sports can do better than almost anything else.

“I give Karen all the credit. People talk about doing things to be helpful and she is being intentional and making this happen,” Tyson said. “I think it’s important that she isn’t just playing us because it’s part of her team finishing a trip to the area. She is bringing her team to give them an experience of a lifetime and perspective that will probably help beyond their time at Tennessee.”

• Tennessee and Howard players will be sharing their thoughts on the experience for a journal D1Softball will run in the aftermath of the trip.