A Different Kind of Battle on the Court

After missing a couple of weeks of action, Park Hill South was happy to return to the court recently after the need to quarantine. These were challenging times but earlier this week they met a different kind of battle with school leadership. Before their Tuesday evening match with North Kansas City, the Park Hill South principal approached the team and instructed them they would need to remove their warm-up shirts. The reason: There was a team parent not happy with the shirt. The shirt in question you may be asking?

The "Together We Rise" shirt was an idea sparked by senior captain and OH Abbie Day. Day, a four-year starter for the Panthers thought the shirt would be a powerful way to unite a big group of young women. She shared she was motivated by two different sources, one being district leadership. In a June 3rd e-mail,  Park Hill Superintendent addressed the events in the country and acknowledged the hurt among the Park Hill Family. The Superintendent wrote, "we cannot look away from the outpouring of heartbreak and anger...We must look at our hearts and minds and ask ourselves what work we need to do." This message inspired Day to "stop kicking the can down the road", as challenged by Dr. Cowherd. 

Later in June, Day and her family got "Together We Rise" shirts at the Parkville March for Unity to show people of color they have allies who will stand with them. Later as the season approached, the volleyball team and staff thought what a great message to send this fall. This is an opportunity to show our school and community we stand together. Not only did Park Hill South wear the shirts, other teams including North Kansas City purchased them. A great effort to unite and display leadership in her senior year. Day was feeling proud of the small movement beginning within the volleyball community until she received an unfortunate truth. The fight to unite can be ugly. "It was extremely embarrassing when our principal came onto the court and made us remove them while wearing them in unification with North Kansas City", wrote Day. She added, "The discussion is continuing as it is more than just a t-shirt, it's standing up for what's right. The t-shirt says a lot: our life experiences are different, but together we will rise."

The question now being discussed among those in the community on social media is: why is the shirt a problem? On the other side of town, rival Park Hill designed a shirt many feel expresses the same message of unity. The difference: It is a volleyball with an American flag vs three raised fist. As we've seen high school and college volleyball teams across the country lock arms and unite, many are inspired by their boldness to speak out on issues related to our country. In a time where we look for young people to step up and display leadership, we should applaud those who are courageously working to spark change in their schools and communities, not attempt to silence them. To learn more about Abbie's vision visit www.risetogetherkc.com