HopeKillCure
Banned
Full Story: She didn’t laugh at racist jokes. Her coach said she didn’t have the right ‘chemistry’ for the team.
She didn’t laugh at racist jokes. Her coach said she didn’t have the right ‘chemistry’ for the team.
Jasmine Orsted said the comments began almost immediately after she started practicing with other hopefuls seeking spots on the University of Mary Washington’s women’s basketball team.
One white player openly mused about “why black people name their kids the way they do,” Orsted recalled. Another white woman responded that she “never had to worry about that,” because her high school “wasn’t in the ghetto,” adding that she was glad there were only one or two black players on her high school team.
“I was astounded,” Orsted said of her 2014 experience at the Fredericksburg, Va., school. “I couldn’t believe that somebody would actually say that, especially in the presence of somebody that’s black.”
Orsted was ultimately barred from trying out for the team because of what the coach deemed a lack of “chemistry” with other players, according to her lawsuit. Believing that “chemistry” meant tolerating racism, Orsted sued the university in federal court in Virginia and settled last month for $160,000.
As a condition of the settlement, Orsted willnot disparage the school; however, she is allowed to recount the contentions in the lawsuit.
Orsted had come to Mary Washington in 2014 to play basketball, a sport she had loved since childhood. Because she had outperformed some of the university’s players during a year at Northern Virginia Community College, she was hopeful she’d spend a lot of time on the court. She could also save money by living at home in nearby Woodbridge, and her parents would be able to attend her games.
But as the preseason went on, the racial comments continued, Orsted said. One player expressed fear of going to a black church. Another said that black girls don’t shave because their legs are dark. When a girl said she had gone to Haiti, Orsted said another white player asked, “So, did you get a picture with a skinny little hungry black boy?”
When she was asked about her heritage, Orsted told the other women that she had an African American mother and a Norwegian father. She said they were incredulous.
“ ‘So you have a white dad who married a black woman and they had a baby together?’ ” she recalled one player asking. “And they just all fell on the ground laughing. And I’m standing there like — this is 2014 at the time, that’s not something unheard of, I don’t understand how it could be funny.”
There were two black players already on the team. Orsted said one made her own jokes about race — for example, saying that she was the rare black person who could swim. The other black player, according to Orsted, would laugh along with the white players at racial comments.
The only people who didn’t laugh, she said, were Orsted and another black newcomer. That student testified in a deposition that when she confronted other players about a racial joke, they responded with “weird looks” and began distancing themselves from her. The student, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, was also cut from the team before tryouts and has since left the school.
She didn’t laugh at racist jokes. Her coach said she didn’t have the right ‘chemistry’ for the team.
Jasmine Orsted said the comments began almost immediately after she started practicing with other hopefuls seeking spots on the University of Mary Washington’s women’s basketball team.
One white player openly mused about “why black people name their kids the way they do,” Orsted recalled. Another white woman responded that she “never had to worry about that,” because her high school “wasn’t in the ghetto,” adding that she was glad there were only one or two black players on her high school team.
“I was astounded,” Orsted said of her 2014 experience at the Fredericksburg, Va., school. “I couldn’t believe that somebody would actually say that, especially in the presence of somebody that’s black.”
Orsted was ultimately barred from trying out for the team because of what the coach deemed a lack of “chemistry” with other players, according to her lawsuit. Believing that “chemistry” meant tolerating racism, Orsted sued the university in federal court in Virginia and settled last month for $160,000.
As a condition of the settlement, Orsted willnot disparage the school; however, she is allowed to recount the contentions in the lawsuit.
Orsted had come to Mary Washington in 2014 to play basketball, a sport she had loved since childhood. Because she had outperformed some of the university’s players during a year at Northern Virginia Community College, she was hopeful she’d spend a lot of time on the court. She could also save money by living at home in nearby Woodbridge, and her parents would be able to attend her games.
But as the preseason went on, the racial comments continued, Orsted said. One player expressed fear of going to a black church. Another said that black girls don’t shave because their legs are dark. When a girl said she had gone to Haiti, Orsted said another white player asked, “So, did you get a picture with a skinny little hungry black boy?”
When she was asked about her heritage, Orsted told the other women that she had an African American mother and a Norwegian father. She said they were incredulous.
“ ‘So you have a white dad who married a black woman and they had a baby together?’ ” she recalled one player asking. “And they just all fell on the ground laughing. And I’m standing there like — this is 2014 at the time, that’s not something unheard of, I don’t understand how it could be funny.”
There were two black players already on the team. Orsted said one made her own jokes about race — for example, saying that she was the rare black person who could swim. The other black player, according to Orsted, would laugh along with the white players at racial comments.
The only people who didn’t laugh, she said, were Orsted and another black newcomer. That student testified in a deposition that when she confronted other players about a racial joke, they responded with “weird looks” and began distancing themselves from her. The student, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, was also cut from the team before tryouts and has since left the school.
. I bet them white women were more jealous of how pretty she is than anything.
