‘We can’t stay silent.’ Mercer grads promote unity, Black businesses at Macon rally
They were teammates first, proudly wearing orange and black as they battled teams on the gridiron for Mercer University.
After they graduated, the two dozen or so former Bears kept in touch via a group text, sharing jokes, photos and important life updates. Look away from the text stream for a day, or even a few hours, and sometimes you’d have half a hundred messages to catch up on.
So when videos of a white man gunning down Ahmaud Arbery in southeast Georgia and a Minneapolis police officer killing George Floyd became national news items, these teammates — Black men, many from the Atlanta metro area — began talking about what they could do about the violence and racism they saw across the country and in their own communities.
“With everything going on, we’ve had long, in-depth conversations,” accountant and 2016 Mercer graduate Tosin Aguebor said. “We decided, instead of just talking about it, to do something big for the community. We thought, where better to do it than the place that helped mold us into the men we are today?”
The group began raising money for organizations that support Macon’s Black community via the Breaking Beariers: Macon Unity Fundraiser and held an event at Tattnall Square Park Saturday afternoon to build unity, support black businesses and foster conversations about racism and police brutality. Current and former Mercer students and athletics staff attended the event as organizers provided masks, hand sanitizer and water.
Mercer men’s basketball coach Greg Gary, who attended the event with many of his players, said events like the one at Tattnall are about learning, supporting fellow community members and acknowledging injustice.
“It’s educating yourself, being able to talk and ask questions,” he said. “I’m not a Black man, so I can’t put myself in their shoes; I have to ask questions.”
An “eye-opening experience”
Aguebor, born in Alpharetta, said living in Macon as he attended Mercer was “eye-opening.”
“Atlanta is more of a melting pot,” he said. “When I came here, I felt it was a little more segregated than what I’m used to. The public and private school system are two different worlds. Look at North Macon, and then the rest of Macon. Being in Macon opened my eyes to things I’d never seen before. Being here made me a more socially conscious person.”
Arbery, Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot and killed by three Louisville police officers serving a no-knock search warrant, have become household names. Their deaths sparked protests across the country, making now the time to starting speaking out, Aguebor said.
“As a Black man, I’ve been aware of these things all my life, because I’ve faced them,” he said. “Now, people of other races are starting to realize what we go through. This is the perfect time for us to get out, speak, be active. We can’t stay silent anymore; we have to be active. You can always donate and volunteer, there are so many organizations that help the Black community. We can also invest in our communities, get involved.”
Igniting change
Jordan Marshall, a former Mercer wide receiver and now the school’s director of on-campus recruiting/digital media, said any myths about racism or oppression ending with the Civil War have been dispelled, thanks to 21st century technology.
“Some people thought this all ended when slavery ended,” he said. “With new technology, everything is being recorded, so now everyone is seeing it with their own eyes.”
Change requires education and tough conversations, Marshall, a native of Marietta, said.
“There have been a couple times when just being me has had police officers called on me,” he said. “I realized that it’s not me, it’s just the ignorance of other people. Igniting change requires education.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 2:11 PM.
