The University of Mississippi Athletics
NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Week: My Story Matters by Tim Sandkaulen
10/27/2020 | Men's Tennis, Student-Athlete Development
By Tim Sandkaulen
Senior, Ole Miss Men's Tennis
Growing up in Germany, I was never exposed to black and white racism. However, I did grow up in the home country of the Holocaust, where we learned about the worst hate crime the world has ever witnessed. From a very young age, we were taught never to hate others based on race, religion, gender, or anything else. As I matured and traveled the world to pursue my dream of playing tennis at a high level, I learned many worldly lessons. My mom taught me from a young age to always treat everyone equally. In Germany, it just seemed and felt like the natural way to act. But when I came to America, I realized that wasn't the case for everyone here.
I will always remember May 5, 2020 as the turning point in my life as a human being. On this date, I was in Georgia when the graphic killing video of Ahmaud Arbery surfaced online. At that moment, I felt disgusted, angry, and in complete shock. Being only a few hours away from where the shooting occurred made it that much more real and painful. It was then when I challenged myself to become proactive, to fight racism, and do all things in my control to never see a video like that again.
As the traumatic events continued to unfold in our country, the Ole Miss Athletics Department offered all student-athletes resources and education opportunities regarding racism. Listening to what my peers had to say about their experience with racism and social injustice made me want to educate myself more and get to know them even better by having uncomfortable conversations about things we usually do not talk about. It also made me realize that being part of the Ole Miss family comes with a huge responsibility to contribute not only on the court and field, but off of it as well.
We are more than just athletes. This is why I came up with the UMity campaign. UMity is committed to bringing people together and fighting racism and social injustice wherever you find it, including yourself. I presented my ideas to the Black-Student-Athlete Council and was able to bring some of those ideas to life with their incredible support.
In the past few months, I have learned that the opposite of racist is not "not racist", but anti-racist, which requires action. Using my platform as a student-athlete and taking advantage of the resources here at Ole Miss to create change in this world is so valuable and something I do not take for granted.
It is time to step up and be an ally. Listen, speak up, self-reflect, and be okay with getting uncomfortable. I am not an American citizen, nor am I eligible to vote, but I can still make a change within my bubble.
Just one person will not stop racism, but we can stop it if we work together. We must choose to fight, not ignore racism, for healing to occur.
Senior, Ole Miss Men's Tennis
Growing up in Germany, I was never exposed to black and white racism. However, I did grow up in the home country of the Holocaust, where we learned about the worst hate crime the world has ever witnessed. From a very young age, we were taught never to hate others based on race, religion, gender, or anything else. As I matured and traveled the world to pursue my dream of playing tennis at a high level, I learned many worldly lessons. My mom taught me from a young age to always treat everyone equally. In Germany, it just seemed and felt like the natural way to act. But when I came to America, I realized that wasn't the case for everyone here.
I will always remember May 5, 2020 as the turning point in my life as a human being. On this date, I was in Georgia when the graphic killing video of Ahmaud Arbery surfaced online. At that moment, I felt disgusted, angry, and in complete shock. Being only a few hours away from where the shooting occurred made it that much more real and painful. It was then when I challenged myself to become proactive, to fight racism, and do all things in my control to never see a video like that again.
As the traumatic events continued to unfold in our country, the Ole Miss Athletics Department offered all student-athletes resources and education opportunities regarding racism. Listening to what my peers had to say about their experience with racism and social injustice made me want to educate myself more and get to know them even better by having uncomfortable conversations about things we usually do not talk about. It also made me realize that being part of the Ole Miss family comes with a huge responsibility to contribute not only on the court and field, but off of it as well.
We are more than just athletes. This is why I came up with the UMity campaign. UMity is committed to bringing people together and fighting racism and social injustice wherever you find it, including yourself. I presented my ideas to the Black-Student-Athlete Council and was able to bring some of those ideas to life with their incredible support.
In the past few months, I have learned that the opposite of racist is not "not racist", but anti-racist, which requires action. Using my platform as a student-athlete and taking advantage of the resources here at Ole Miss to create change in this world is so valuable and something I do not take for granted.
It is time to step up and be an ally. Listen, speak up, self-reflect, and be okay with getting uncomfortable. I am not an American citizen, nor am I eligible to vote, but I can still make a change within my bubble.
Just one person will not stop racism, but we can stop it if we work together. We must choose to fight, not ignore racism, for healing to occur.
Players Mentioned
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