The University of Maryland (UMD) has suspended its club tennis team after some team members sent an email containing racist imagery to other university tennis clubs — including students at historically Black Howard University.
The email came ahead of a recent club tennis tournament held on the UMD flagship campus in College Park. Reports say “a recognizable symbol associated with the Ku Klux Klan” appeared on the first page of a UMD document shared with organizations slated to participate in the tournament. After they were made aware of the email, UMD recreation and wellness staff suspended the entire UMD club tennis team indefinitely pending an investigation. The team also forfeited its matches in the tournament, which continued for all other participating teams.
In a statement condemning the incident, Howard University Interim President Wayne A. I. Frederick wrote, “Let me be unequivocal: There is no place for racism, intimidation, or imagery rooted in hatred and racial violence in collegiate athletics, on our campuses, or anywhere in our society. The imagery displayed evoked a painful history of racial terror and exclusion that has no place in an environment dedicated to learning, personal development, and mutual respect.”
He continued, “Howard University will remain engaged with the University of Maryland as its investigation proceeds. As institutions of higher learning, we share a responsibility not only to confront acts of racism but also to foster communities where respect for the humanity of others is an expectation, not merely an aspiration.”
The UMD club tennis team has since issued a formal apology on Instagram, sharing that, at the request of Howard’s team, they have made a donation to the National Museum of African American History & Culture:
“Although we did not intend to share an image evoking hate and racism, we take full responsibility for failing to identify and remove it. We understand this was unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our club.”
