The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bartoletta speaks out on being black in America
One of the most, if not the most decorated athletes to come out of Lorain County is speaking out.
The reigning Olympic long jump champion, three-time Olympic gold medalist and Elyria graduate Tianna Bartoletta recently spoke with The Irish Times about the every day challenges she faces as an African American woman in the United States amid the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer that has sparked countless protests across the United States and a renewed “Black Lives Matter” movement.
When Bartoletta is participating in the Olympic games, she sees the outpouring of support and knows that United
States citizens want her to perform well. However, once the Olympics end, things seem to change.
“When we get there, we really do feel like we are wearing the shield for our country and we’re there to represent for our country,” Bartoletta said in her interview with The Irish Times. “And we want to bring that medal home for our countrymen and we know that they’ll be proud of us when we win. We know that they’ll be disappointed with us when we lose.
“Black athletes also know that that is temporary. So the moment that the uniform comes off, the moment the clothing ceremony ends and once the media tour is over after you’ve gotten your medal, you become black in America again.
“There’s also this really horrible reality that people find out what you’ve accomplished and you see in that moment the behavior change. Because now you have value. You have been to the Olympics. Not only have you been to the Olympics, which is incredible by itself you’ve got three gold medals? Oh my gosh. But in the conversation before any of that came out, it was very different.”
In 2017, Bartoletta, 34, started a blog in which she has written about what it’s like to be black in America.
During her interview, she pointed out that putting on shoes and leaving her house to go out for a run isn’t as simple as it sounds. Bartoletta devised a strategy for when she approaches other people.
“So when I’m approaching someone out on a run, I go through three steps,” Bartoletta said. “I announce my presence — big smile, yell hello. I talk about the weather — great day for a run! And I run away. That, hopefully for me, makes that exchange with that person only interpretable in one way. As in, ‘Oh, a really friendly black girl.’
“That’s all I’m trying to do. I don’t want to accidentally be lost in the music and maybe have an aggressive look on my face. I have all of these things that I am thinking about when I approach people, things that when you’re at home you don’t have to worry about. But when you walk out that front door, you know that this is who I need to be in this world. So that I can make it home.”
Bartoletta also discussed what it’s been like for her to watch the Floyd protests that have been happening across the country. She is feeling overwhelmed and as a result, has had a difficult time recovering from her workouts. Bartoletta is also concerned about a possible novel coronavirus flare up.
“It feels exhausting,” Bartoletta said. “It’s almost like sensory overload in a way. There’s so much to see, you’re hearing so much. The pandemic is still a thing. It still exists, it’s just not being covered as much. So people aren’t being as diligent about not spreading the virus, which is going to be a problem for us soon, again.
“You’re watching these things unfold and you’re exhausted because it feels too overwhelming for one person to make a difference about, if that makes sense. And I want to say that that is actually untrue. There are things that a person can absolutely do. It just feels overwhelming.
“Last week was a recovery week for me after a very heavy training block. And I didn’t recover at all. My body did not regenerate, it did not heal. I didn’t sleep well. All of it is not because I don’t know how to take care of my body — I know how to do that. But there’s too much anxiety, anger and grief internalized in my body.”
In times like these, being an athlete isn’t so important for Bartoletta. She has joined countless athletes who are speaking out about racial inequalities. Bartoletta knows she can’t please everyone and is struggling to find a balance between her responsibilities as an athlete and what she cares about as a human being.
“It feels really trivial to be an athlete right now,” Bartoletta said. “I have been really struggling with the idea that while there are protesters and people marching, I’m putting on sneakers to go run some sprints. It feels very trivial and inconsequential. But my life coach reminded me that this is part of the platform and I need to do what I’m good at, which is using that platform to share my voice and my story.
“Athletes need to remember that it’s not separate from you. It’s part of your story and your journey. And if you choose to, you are able to weave what it is you do as an athlete into what it is you care about as a human. And to not be afraid to do that because you’re not going to please everyone anyway. Somebody is going to be upset that you didn’t just shut up and dribble.
“There’ll be fans who will be upset to find that you don’t believe exactly what they believe. And then there’ll be fans who will be upset that you didn’t use your platform to throw your hat in the ring behind something that was important to them. You can’t please everyone so you might as well follow your heart in this. But don’t diminish your role as an athlete either. Because I struggle with that myself.”
Bartoletta knows that having uncomfortable conversations with people can help bring change and she believes that there is plenty of hope present.
“Oh yes. There’s always hope. Protesting is an act of hope. Otherwise, you wouldn’t bother. You wouldn’t risk it. If you didn’t believe things could be better, you wouldn’t demand it. You just wouldn’t. There’s more hopelessness on display from the rioters and looters who resorted to illegal and criminal activity. That’s more of a hopeless act than protesting.
“But the fact that we are having uncomfortable conversations — and I’ve had a lot of them with black and white friends over this time — that’s a prerequisite for the change that we’re fighting for. So yeah, there’s a lot of hope.”
Bartoletta — who won nine state titles at Elyria, including seven individual titles — will have to wait another year to defend her long jump title as the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo were pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.