Football is not the reason I’m at the University of Alabama

I saw a darker side of the Deep South

It is almost impossible to discuss the University of Alabama without mentioning the world class football program it has created. But what is it like to be a Bama student who was not brought here by our fearless leader, Nick Saban?

Growing up, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was far from my mind. I always imagined I would graduate high school and stay close to home. During senior year, though, I began to wonder what I would truly learn from an in-state education.

There were pros, of course, to staying close to home, but Tuscaloosa seemed to offer more than what I was looking for – a new environment, the promise of southern hospitality and a golden opportunity to immerse myself in an entirely different culture. Before I knew it, I was packing my bags and flying across the country to a place where I didn’t know anyone or anything.

I got my first taste of the deeply-rooted southern traditions the first time I ate “real” barbeque or met Alabama natives. I began to understand the reality of what it’s like to go through sorority recruitment with 2,000+ other hopefuls by my side.

I knew what it meant to live in the South when “you guys” transformed into “y’all,” and I got a true taste of community when I first entered Bryant-Denny Stadium. These were not the moments that allowed me to grow as a person, though.

Those moments were much darker.

I learned what the term “culture shock” truly meant when I first recognized the level of racism still present in the South. This is not something I fully grasped living in a West Coast state surrounded by open-minded free spirits.

Maybe it was my own ignorance, but Alabama gave me the wake-up call I needed. I began to understand how difficult it is to hate aspects of the place you love.

I was involved in an organization that, in a highly publicized incident, was extremely reluctant to accept an African American woman simply because of the color of her skin.

I looked around Tuscaloosa and saw numerous people donning Confederate flag clothing and accessories. I heard countless Alabama students and adults voice their real desire to secede after the re-election of Barack Obama.

I stood at the schoolhouse door that once blocked African American students from entering, and this was the moment when the culture around me shocked a growth within myself. This is when Alabama revealed the bruise hiding beneath its crimson and white surface.

I finally understand how differently other regions of America think and the reality of how prevalent these issues remain within the United States. This understanding grows every single day and, fortunately, has reached the ears of even the most unwilling listeners.

I feel, now, that this issue has become more and more publicized. I believe advocacy is becoming a priority for all students, but there is still so much work to be done.

I can now say I know what forces of fate brought me to the University of Alabama and how truly impossible it would have been for me to grow as a person without seeing these issues first-hand.

So, when I, an Arizona native, am asked what has shaped my experience at University of Alabama most, football is the last thing on my mind. Tuscaloosa became home when the deeply rooted issues that are ever-present in the Deep South transformed into a feeling of personal responsibility to share my inner growth.

A growth that can only happen when we take the this often vibrant culture and confront its shocking aspects.

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