Dumonde ‘Slam’ Dunkley, a graduate student on the St. Joe’s men’s rowing team, and Tim Johnson ’20, former St. Joe’s baseball outfielder, were named recipients of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award for the 2019-20 athletic year by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
The award was established to “honor undergraduate students of color who best exemplify academic and athletic achievement.” Arthur Ashe, a Black tennis player who played professionally during the 1970s and 1980s, was a fierce advocate for social justice issues during and after his tennis career.
Like Ashe, Dunkley is passionate about increasing awareness of the struggles and obstacles people of color face. He hosted a panel last month on environmental racism and also gave presentations to student-athletes about white privilege. Dunkley said the university has neglected Black thought and needs a plan to fight racial injustice on campus.
“My main point is that there is a lot going on right now, so if you’re not actively fighting for something and you’re just living a passive life, you’re an obstacle to the success and the protections that could be forwarded to future generations,” Dunkley said. “I’m just trying to motivate everyone and inspire everyone to live an active and engaged life.”
Dunkley said this award means a lot to him because it acknowledges the work that he and other students of color at St. Joe’s have done to make the campus community more inclusive.
“Sometimes it feels like your work isn’t getting noticed because the problems are so big,” Dunkley said. “But I’m excited to get this award.”
Ian Crookenden, head coach of the St. Joe’s men’s and women’s tennis teams and Ashe’s doubles partner at UCLA, said Ashe was an intellectual who believed it was his duty to fight for justice.
“An important barrier for him to tackle was apartheid,” Crookenden said. “Arthur was constantly involved in civil rights [movements], sit-ins and protests and felt that it was his duty to make his position clear.”
Fritz Hamburg, head coach of the St. Joe’s baseball team, said Johnson’s work ethic and intangibles were admired by many in the program.
“Tim [Johnson] was about as complete of a person as anybody I’ve coached,” Hamburg said. “He was outstanding in regards to the person he is, his work ethic, discipline and character. He was an ace to say [the] least.”
Hamburg said Johnson’s maturity and ability to lead by example left a lasting impression on his teammates and coaches.
“He was a consummate professional and very work-like,” Hamburg said. “He treated every day like it was his last day, and that daily delivery is what everybody will remember about him.”
Both Johnson and Dunkley also represent Black excellence in academics. Crookenden said Ashe supported education reform for communities of color.
“Arthur supported education and athletics so much because through that knowledge, people could have a much clearer understanding [of race] before they allowed any emotional responses or actions to be detrimental,” Crookenden said.
Dunkley said the best way for white students at St. Joe’s to be allies to people of color is to learn about underrepresented cultures through immersion.
“It could be physically going into the inner city to jazz clubs,” Dunkley said, “or decolonizing yourself and realizing that your skin carries privilege.”
