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Racial & Social Justice Initiative
Through My Lens is a monthly feature sponsored by CoSIDA’s Executive Board of Directors as part of its Racial and Social Justice initiative in conjunction with CoSIDA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Through member stories, the series illustrates the differences and similarities that make us stronger as people and professionals.
To tell your story, contact CoSIDA Intern Danielle Potts at
daniellepotts@cosida.com or (270) 227-7026.
“Success is a journey of perseverance and persistence in spite of failure,” Tony Dungy from “Uncommon.”
My career in athletic communications has been an amazing journey of a lifetime.
It’s been a blessing to be able to have had the ability to impact so many people. It’s something I never imagined was possible growing up in the William Penn projects in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The William Penn projects is a place in the words of Jay-Z where “hoop dreams deflate like a true fiend's weight” and a lot of people don’t make it out.
I witnessed numerous drug transactions as they occurred in the hallway next to where we lived. I also had friends Carla Carrington, Tyrone “Sugar Bear” Robertson, Mike Johnson, Diyon Barnes, and Taren Kennard murdered by gun violence.
I am proud to be from Chester because it made me resilient, strong, and determined to be a success. It’s my foundation. Check my social media handles and you’ll see Chester as part of it.
There are great people in Chester and plenty of good that unfortunately is ignored occurring in the city along the Delaware River that’s 17 miles southwest of Philadelphia. The Chester High School boys’ basketball team has won a Pennsylvania-best eight state championships.
I got my fighting spirit from my young brother, Dwayne who died from cancer in 1985 after an 11-month battle when he was 8. I was 11. My younger sister, Dinah, is a breast cancer survivor. Their positive attitudes during their battles is what drives me every day and are embedded into my soul.
From my family to the Chester High football and basketball coaches to my Lincoln University classmates to all my teachers and mentors especially in the Swarthmore College Upward Bound program to my CoSIDA family, they all inspired me that no matter where I was from that I could accomplish plenty and still make a difference.
I had no idea my career would land me into spaces I used to dream about. I was the first Black sports reporter in the history of the
Delaware County Daily Times, my hometown newspaper. All I ever wanted to do was to be a sports reporter ever since I was 10.
I never imagined that I would one day work at my alma mater, Lincoln (Pa.) and be tasked to restart its athletic communications department from scratch while promoting the first NCAA Woman of the Year finalist from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), a Divisiom III national Player of the Year, and getting five student-athletes featured in
Sports Illustrated’s Faces In The Crowd section.
Making an impact and meeting wonderful people at Kutztown, Coppin State, Towson and now, UNC Greensboro were not part of my plans.
I worked at ESPN. I traveled to Northern Ireland, Canada, the Bahamas, and 29 states to cover events. Somebody pinch me.
A funny thing is that sometimes your life path chooses you.
Along the way, I’ve been laid off, been turned down for jobs, struggled, and doubted myself. The road to being the second Black president in CoSIDA history, a CoSIDA Rising Star award winner, inducted into the Lincoln (Pa.) Athletics Hall of Fame and graduating from the NCAA Leadership Institute wasn’t easy.
Despite the adversity and occasional typos, I never allowed failure to hold me back. It made me more determined. Through it all I found a way to smile, have fun, focus on others, be kind, cherish each moment, and intentionally show up every day to make a difference.
Making Chester proud is what has driven me throughout my career.
Hopefully, that’s been accomplished.
Gallery: (12-7-2020) Rob Knox | Through My Lens
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