Caira Watson-Haynes is a senior student-athlete on the Washington University women's track and field team. She was named the Women's Most Outstanding Performer in running events at the 2020 UAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. A three-time UAA champion, Watson-Haynes has earned two All-America honors and has been named a UAA All-Academic student-athlete for the past two years. She serves as co-president of WashU's B.L.A.C. and serves on the UAA Black History Committee, which was formed in March 2020.

The UAA “Conversations About Race and Racism” series seeks to lift the voices of people of color and the challenges faced in both athletics and academics at the collegiate level. By sharing personal stories, we hope to elevate the conversation about race to raise awareness and bring about change.

By Caira-Watson Haynes

One of the biggest challenges that I face as a Black student athlete at a PWI (predominantly white institution) is the lack of community. I find myself not only being the minority in the general WashU community, but also on my team. This is one of the biggest problems of not having a truly diverse team. Athletics has always served as an outlet for me, but that is no longer the case because I feel I cannot truly be myself. The internal battle to try to fit in yet to still be myself is something I have struggled with since I was a first year.

Fortunately, WashU’s athletic administration recognizes the lack of diversity within athletics and desires to increase diversity while recognizing the diversity that currently exists within the department.

READ FULL STORY: