Last year, the Black-Latinx Athlete Coalition student-athlete affinity group, alongside other athletic affinity groups, was founded with the goal of uniting student-athletes of similar backgrounds and identities beyond athletics. According to members of BLAC, the group strives to create an environment for genuine connection and provide a resource for Black student-athletes to find community within NYU’s large student body. For BLAC, Black History Month is a time of reflection and recognition, especially for athletes in sports that lack Black representation.
BLAC works to build its community through social events outside of athletics and collaborations with other student groups. To honor Black History Month, BLAC partnered with NYU’s Black Student Union to host the Black History Night Double Header — a UAA basketball game on Feb. 7 against the University of Chicago — where the group provided facts about Black History Month, shared its importance and honored Martin Luther King Jr.
Black athletes make up 10% of NCAA’s Division III, a number that has continuously grown over the past decade. Alongside participation in athletics, Black student-athlete graduation rates have also increased significantly from 56% in 2002 to 82% in 2024 in NCAA’s D-I level. For the 2024-25 season, NYU has a total of 551 student-athletes across its 23 varsity sports teams, with a small percentage of those athletes identifying as Black or Latinx.
“The affinity groups provide individuals with a sense of belonging, community and support, especially in environments where they are under-represented,” said Chase Nixon, the faculty advisor for BLAC and a former D-III student-athlete at Averett University. “I think it’s important to have that sense of belonging and to be able to have conversations about ways to have those safe spaces.”
Nixon strives to make sure BLAC’s student-athletes feel empowered and connected with the group’s values and mission. He said creating a supportive environment where athletes can express their voices and ultimately create a legacy for Black NYU athletes is invaluable. BLAC is entirely student-led in order to promote student goals for BLAC and create a truly genuine connection between athletes.
Bryan Moussako, the president of BLAC and a junior on the men’s basketball team, and Alyssa Quary, the vice president and a sophomore on the softball team, have been part of the group since its founding last year.
“At times, it can be a bit alienating not having that community around you,” Quary told WSN. “But building a space where we can find each other is very cool to have.”
Moussako was raised in a primarily white neighborhood and was one of the few Black athletes on his basketball team growing up. He said that Black History Month — a month of appreciation for Black culture and history, especially in spaces where Black people are under-represented — has been fundamental for maintaining his mental well-being.
“Having a month where people look at me and understand the struggles that I go through is really valuable,” said Moussako. “I don’t see a ton of people that look the same as me on my team, so Black History Month is important and has helped me a lot.”
As one of two black softball players at NYU since the program started, Quarry is grateful that Black History Month provides a “moment of recognition that is both validating for myself and informative for other people to force them to recognize experiences aren’t the same for everyone.”
NYU was the last school in the UAA to found BLAC, and with a lack of awareness about the group on campus, Moussako and Quary aim to reach as many students as possible.
“Who can we reach today to be a part of it today and feel welcome right now?” said Quary. “Even if it’s one person who feels affected, it’s good to know we had that impact.”
Because the club has fostered such a meaningful space for Black athletes, Moussako is dedicated to “leaving it better than when [he] found it.”
Moussako and Quary also prioritize inclusion events with other groups such as the BSU and the Jewish Student-Athlete Affinity Group. They are working to create a space that will promote mutual understanding and learning about different cultures, especially within the athletic space.
“It’s a space built for us,” Quary said. “We want it to be something where other people can respect that space but also be a part of it and coexist within it.”
BLAC seeks to promote its collective voice and gain recognition across campus for Black student-athletes’ experiences. The group encourages students in search of community to reach out and get involved via Instagram, @nyublac.
Contact Chloe Sundstrom at [email protected].
