Black History Month: Voices of the Staff (Part 2)
2/18/2021 8:40:00 AM | General, Features
In celebration of Black History Month, Michigan Athletics is considering "Where Do We Go From Here?" Through conversations and profiles with our student-athletes and staff, we will celebrate people and culture, while recognizing our country's history. In our "Voices of the Staff" series, we'll learn about nine members of the Michigan Athletic Department staff and what Black history means to them. This is the second of two installments and includes:
- Darryl Conway, Senior Associate AD, Chief Health & Welfare Officer
- Toyelle Wilson, Women's Basketball Assistant Coach
- Pierre Nesbit, Assistant Athletic Trainer
- Jeff Porter, Sport Administrator, Major Gift Officer
Darryl Conway
Title: #1 Bacon and Gummi Bear fan (Senior Associate AD, Chief Health & Welfare Officer)
Hometown: Beltsville, Maryland (hometown); currently live in Dundee, Michigan
Q: What's your WHY or what keeps you motivated personally/professionally?
A: My son (18 years old, lives in Maryland); my daughter (three years old)
Q: What kinds of things do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: Making my own bacon, grilling/smoking meat, spending time with family and my dogs (three Rottweilers: Apollo, Titan, Louie)
Q: How do you celebrate Black History Month?
A: Reflecting. Advocating for others. Setting an example for others.
Q: Why do you think it's important to commemorate Black history?
A: Learn from the past and learn about/from our forefathers.
Q: Which Black historical figure(s) do you most admire and why?
A: MLK and Jackie Robinson -- how well-spoken they were, what they went through during their times, and what they were subjected to but were calm and ultimate professionals.
Q: A quote from a Black historical figure that resonates with you?
A: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." -- Jackie Robinson
Q: A title from your Black History Month reading list?
"Dream: The Words and Inspiration of MLK"
Toyelle Wilson
Title: Connoisseur cook in the kitchen (and women's basketball assistant coach)
Hometown: Voorhees, New Jersey
Q: What's your WHY or what keeps you motivated personally/professionally?
A: To impact those that I get the opportunity to.
Q: What kinds of things do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: Cooking, working out, traveling, playing with my two-year-old son and watching him grow and learn.
Q: How do you celebrate Black History Month?
A: Every day I try to learn about someone new in art, science, technology, entertainment, etc., that I don't know much about. Buy from small black-owned businesses.
Q: Why do you think it's important to commemorate Black history?
A: Celebrating Black history provides an opportunity to highlight the best of our culture. It also provides the chance to focus on different aspects of our narrative as African-Americans. In this day and age, with social injustice being so relevant, I believe that it creates an awareness for all people and that Black history draws people of every race into the diverse story of this nation.
Q: Which Black historical figure(s) do you most admire and why?
A: Maya Angelou. She was a poet, filmmaker, actor, dancer and civil rights activist. She is considered a hero because she inspired and encouraged us to face our trials and hardships. She never gave up. She taught a message of being the best person you can be, chasing your dreams, and believing in your vision.
Q: A quote from a Black historical figure that resonates with you?
A: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -- Maya Angelou
Q: A song from your Black History Month playlist?
A: "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
Q: A title from your Black History Month reading list?
A: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Pierre Nesbit
Title: Assistant Athletic Trainer
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Q: What's your WHY or what keeps you motivated personally/professionally?
A: Aside from simply being able to provide for my family, I truly do enjoy my work. I enjoy working with my team and helping my players overcome their ailments and return to the field and live out the dreams that they have for themselves.
Q: What kinds of things do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: I really like to do absolutely nothing and having the option to do absolutely nothing. In addition to that, if I can play some basketball, I always enjoy that. I enjoy spending time with my wife and my daughter. I have also been reading more, which I have come to enjoy.
Q: How do you celebrate Black History Month?
A: Each day I try to seek out something new that I hadn't learned before.
Q: Why do you think it's important to commemorate Black history?
A: It's important because we played an important role in how this nation has been shaped. It's good to celebrate US and at the very minimum have an entire month dedicated to all those who have blazed the trails for us. Because of those who have come before us, people like myself, who are fortunate enough to work at places like Michigan, can continue to build upon the foundation that so many great men and women set before me.
Q: Which Black historical figure(s) do you most admire and why?
A: Honestly, my mother is. She overcame a lot things in her own personal life just to give me life and to put me on the right path to ensure that I did not stray and get caught up in the streets on the South Side of Chicago. She had doubters that told her that I would amount to nothing and that I'd be like every other dude from our neighborhood. Yet, she blazed her own path and did what she thought was best to ensure that a young Black man made it and had all the lessons and tools to make informed decisions down the line. It wasn't always glamorous, but she fought to secure my future. That's historical to me.
Q: A song from your Black History Month playlist?
A: "Sue Me" (feat. Kelly Price) by Wale
Q: A title from your Black History Month reading list?
A: "A Promised Land" by Barack Obama
Jeff Porter
Title: Sport Administrator, Major Gift Officer, Husband, Father, Olympian
Hometown: Somerset, New Jersey
Q: What's your WHY or what keeps you motivated personally/professionally?
A: I want to push the department, student-athletes, and myself to achieve to our fullest ability.
Q: What kinds of things do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: Working out, traveling, playing with my baby girl.
Q: How do you celebrate Black History Month?
A: Continued education, community outreach with mentoring Black students.
Q: Why do you think it's important to commemorate Black history?
A: It is an important reminder that Black history is American history and you cannot segregate those two. Primary education in the United States has not done a particularly good job of discussing the impact the Black people (and people of color) have made on American history. Therefore, it is important to take a moment to ensure this conversation is not lost.
Q: Which Black historical figure(s) do you most admire and why?
A: Barack Obama, Angela Davis. Growing up, the idea that America would ever have a Black president was a running joke, but President Obama changed that narrative. Even the highest office in the land was attainable. Angela Davis was, and continues to be, a revolutionary who seeks to break the status quo and fight for equal justice.
Q: A quote from a Black historical figure that resonates with you?
A: "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." -- Angela Davis
Q: A song from your Black History Month playlist?
A: "Alright" by Kendrick Lamar
Q: A title from your Black History Month reading list?
A: "Policing the Black Man" by Angela Davis
• BHM: Voices of the Staff (Part 1)
• BHM Voices of the Staff: Whitney Tarver
• Black History Month 2021
