Vanderbilt MLK Civil Rights Tour an important tradition for student-athletes, administrators

Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee vividly recalls the day predecessor David Williams returning to his office flustered after meeting with a student-athlete.

The cause of his frustration: the student-athlete wondering why a day honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a big deal.

“I don’t think the student was being disrespectful,” Lee recalls Williams telling her. “But David was frustrated. And he felt that since we have at least one student who didn’t understand, why not create an opportunity to get them to learn about civil rights.”

Months later, during the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2017, a group of Vanderbilt students and administrators boarded a chartered flight to Washington, D.C., to visit the then-recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture. Thus, the annual MLK Civil Rights Tour was born. It was rebranded to include Williams’ name following his death in 2019.

Over the years, the trip has included historical civil rights sites in Atlanta, Memphis, Tennessee, and Montgomery, Alabama. This year, a bus packed with students and faculty traveled nearly 200 miles from Nashville, Tennessee, to Louisville, Kentucky, to visit The Roots 101 Center and the Muhammad Ali Center.

It takes a lot to get a college student up to board a bus ride at 7 a.m. on a day off. But the student-athletes embraced the opportunity to learn more about historical figures like Ali, who was relevant long before most of them were born.

“I honestly do not know a lot about Muhammad Ali,” Samuel Darmanie, a freshman distance runner at Vanderbilt, said on the bus ride to Louisville. “I know he was an excellent boxer. But other than that, not much.”

Madi Victoriano, a sophomore on the volleyball team, saw the trip as an opportunity to learn about history and bond with teammates and other Vanderbilt athletes.

“I just got here a couple of weeks ago, so this was a good opportunity to get to know my teammates and see what Vanderbilt offers,” Victoriano said. “Trips like this are important. Not a lot of schools really focus on such important parts of our history. And I think this is something really special.”

The first stop in Louisville was The Roots 101 Museum, which opened in 2020 for visitors to explore the African American story and see themselves in history. A video from the museum went viral last year when a white woman got emotional after Lamont Collins, owner of The Roots 101, placed shackles on her wrists and asked how she felt.

Maddy Bowser, a sophomore volleyball player, found herself in that situation when Collins asked for a volunteer as he addressed the group visiting the museum.

“I was at a loss for words,” Bowser said. “Being able to visually experience these devices used to control and take power away from people who look just like me was very impactful and truly humbling.”

Darmanie, who before the trip knew little about Ali, spent the hours at The Ali Center absorbing the exhibits in the six-level museum. By day’s end, he had a better understanding of the three-time heavyweight champion who was one of the most recognizable faces in the world during and after his athletic career.

“Before I really stepped foot in the museum, I didn’t know much,” Darmanie said. “I learned a lot. His six core values are something that I really appreciate. I think I’ll probably start doing a lot more with that just because it’s a really good way to live.”

Despite missing this year’s civil rights trip (she was at a women’s basketball game), Lee heard positive feedback regarding the Louisville excursion.

“It has never lost steam, and I’m so thankful for that,” Lee said. “I feel real fortunate to have been standing in the room when David walked in and said we have to do this. I hope David is proud of what this has become.”

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