Two members of the Black 14, Mel Hamilton and John Griffin, came to the BYU campus on Friday, Nov. 15, to answer questions from students and faculty about their experiences overcoming racial injustice.
The title Black 14 refers to 14 African American football players who were dismissed from the University of Wyoming football team in 1969.
According to the University of Wyoming, the players wanted to wear black armbands during a game against the BYU football team to protest a policy from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that would not allow African Americans to hold the priesthood.
For the Black 14, this incident became the catalyst for a philanthropic organization that would distribute food to communities in need across the country.
Their visit to BYU on Nov. 15 commenced in the BYU Zion Auditorium, where the documentary "The Black 14: Healing Hearts and Feeding Souls" was screened. The documentary was made by BYU journalism students in 2022 and shared the Black 14's reconciliation and partnership with the Church to mitigate food insecurity in America.
After the screening, Hamilton and John Griffin along with their spouses, Carey Hamilton and Gilda Griffin, participated in a panel discussion.
Event attendees submitted their questions through a QR code shown at the beginning of the panel. Melissa Gibbs, director of The Daily Universe, moderated the discussion.
"How can students at predominately white institutions create better spaces for people of color?" Gibbs asked.
In response, Griffin recalled an experience he had during a Zoom call with a Fortune 500 company. He explained what he said during that meeting.
"If I were to take the top layer of my skin off, and you did the same thing, you would have no idea what I am," Griffin said.
The panel discussion concluded with a final question.
"What do you hope that people will be inspired to do because of your example or the example of the Black 14?" Gibbs asked.
Hamilton responded by posing a question to the audience.
"Are you your brother's keeper?" Hamilton said.
Hamilton explained what the phrase meant to him.
"It means that you have to throw away everything you learned negatively about someone or some group of people and extend your hand to help them," Hamilton said.
Zipporah Hamilton, a BYU sophomore and granddaughter of Mel Hamilton, said that growing up she would go to Black 14 events and reunions but did not hear much about the Black 14 from her grandpa.
"I knew it was a thing. I knew it was an important movement that shaped their lives and continues to shape their lives and their journey," Zipporah Hamilton said.
Now that Zipporah Hamilton is older, she said she has a better sense of what the Black 14 means for her family and future generations who will learn about their story.
"We are starting to recognize that there are lots of stories like theirs, and if we want to make any kind of change, then it is reaching out that hand and being our brother's keeper and letting people know that this is something that is still going on," Zipporah Hamilton said.
Following the panel discussion, attendees proceeded to the Office of Belonging in the Wilkinson Student Center for a meet and greet.
The office was decorated with signs that were previously used in a display at the College Football Hall of Fame. The signs included quotes and readings that reflected the history of the Black 14.
Dan Heist is an advisor for a team of master's and Public Administration students who work with the Black 14 in developing their nonprofit organization. He shared why he thinks these events are important for students and faculty.
"It creates community at BYU where we appreciate diversity and we appreciate history and we appreciate the way that we can overcome racism through this kind of reconciliation and through service and acts of kindness," Heist said
BYU senior Maleah Moyer said she liked how the university was encouraging students to learn about BYU's history with the Black 14, while not hiding anything that occurred.
"Because I'm also part African American, it does mean a lot to me for what they did," Moyer said.
As Moyer waited in line to get her shirt signed by Griffin, she shared thoughts about her generation and their desire to ask questions.
"With this knowledge that we are gaining, not only about the Black 14 but about history, we can ask the right questions. It's just giving us the context to ask the right questions," Moyer said.