By John Brice
Special Contributor
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The lineup would have drawn a crowd anywhere.
Renowned entrepreneur and super-agent Rich Paul. Former longtime NBA veteran Matt Barnes. Former Hewlett-Packard and current NBA Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer Lesley Slaton Brown, herself a former NCAA collegiate athlete at Boise State.
And a stately Los Angeles setting certainly didn’t hurt.
Yet for Notre Dame’s Tyrah Taylor, attending the Black Student-Athlete Sports Summit for a second consecutive year carried much greater depth. Double-digit Fighting Irish student-athletes from a multitude of campus programs attended the multi-day event.
“Notre Dame is a PWI (Predominately White Institution), and being in a space with Black athletes made me feel seen and validated,” said Taylor, a Chicago native who just wrapped her second year as a sprinter for Notre Dame’s track and field program. “It really helped to talk about my experiences, just being around people that understand the dedication, sacrifice and what being a student-athlete entails.
“It was a comforting environment, and these two events allowed me to meet a lot of people that I’m still in contact with.”
Unable to attend in 2022, Charity McDowell nonetheless had circled the 2023 Black Student-Athlete Sports Summit on her calendar months ago and discussed the potential opportunity to attend with Notre Dame Executive Associate Athletic Director for Culture and Engagement, JP Abercrumbie.
“I’m in ‘Together Irish,’ and JP had actually told me about the Summit,” McDowell, a rising senior from Indianapolis on the Irish volleyball team, said. “So it had been on our radar for sure, especially after I couldn’t go last year because I was studying abroad in South Africa. The whole thing was amazing, having three days of sessions and student-athletes from all over the country.
“I had looked it up to see what it was all about last year when I couldn’t go, and I thought, ‘This is for me for sure because the whole thing is [geared toward] making sure Black student-athletes are prepared for careers after college and not just using their athletic ability, but developing skills to be set up and prepared afterward.
“It was something about which I’m very passionate. I’m big on education and making sure what we need career-wise is at the forefront. Such a small percentage of college athletes go pro in our sports. I want to make sure we take full…