Black Excellence Spotlight — Wendy Walters
Throughout Black History Month, the NCAA’s People of Color Employee Engagement Group will highlight Black excellence through the perspectives of staff members. Read more below about Wendy Walters, managing director of the Infractions Appeals Committees Office and Hearing Operations.
Wendy Walters says her experiences growing up in upstate New York and attending predominately white schools shaped her understanding of how people of color can often be perceived.
During one second grade class at her private Catholic school, Walters was confused when a priest assumed that she could not have known the answer to a simple question related to Catholicism. The priest declared that he was surprised when Walters knew the answer, because he assumed to know that she was not Catholic. When she later told her parents about the class, her mother explained that the priest made an assumption because of her race.
There were not many Black Catholics in upstate New York during that time. “He was making an assumption, because you’re a Black girl, that you are not Catholic,” she remembered her mother saying.
Walters recalled similar incidents throughout her primary schooling and into law school, citing her story with the priest as “foundational.” When entering the professional world, she recalled examples where others would assume she wasn’t a certain type of professional or the right person for a position or opportunity.
She remembered being offered assignments that were typical for women of color. She would be asked to provide insight for an effort or to serve in a role which related to her ethnicity or gender.
Those experiences helped her learn the common assumptions that occurred at the corporate level and how to promote a positive perception. When thinking back to her time as a young professional entering the workforce, she remembered observing the majority culture and learning how to maneuver within it. It became clear to her that a benefit of the doubt or an opportunity for a second chance was not often provided to people of color nor to women.
To navigate this paradigm and to be heard, one strategy Walters occasionally employed was to enlist the help of “speaking agents,” trusted colleagues who would present a perspective for her. These types of strategic maneuvers helped her provide input and move a group forward, while avoiding disregard or dismissal of a perspective because of her race and gender.
“I’ve said (something) before, but it doesn’t seem to be heard,” Walters remembered. “So, I would have someone else say it for me because I know it would be received differently when I say it versus (when) someone else says it. Again, there’s an assumption that you don’t know, or you can’t help, or you are not the person to provide the answer.”
There were comparable experiences when interacting with some members at the annual NCAA Convention and Regional Rules Seminars. Based on appearances, it seemed that some individuals would make determinations on who was knowledgeable and experienced to provide assistance. While providing interpretive assistance at a staffing table one year with a Black male colleague, she noticed members coming to the table would ignore her and speak only with her male colleague.
Members would begin to engage Walters when it became apparent that the male colleague was relying on her knowledge to confirm the accuracy of a response to a question. The same scenario occurred when Walters was providing interpretive assistance at another event, while staffing a table with an intern who was a white female.
“They have to visualize you in the role,” she said. “If they can’t ‘see’ you in a role or believe that you have the knowledge or experience, you’re not going to progress, you may not get the job or opportunity, and you’re going to have to work harder so that they can ‘see’ you in the role.”
To reduce stereotypes and further understanding, Walters would encourage others to take a step back and intentionally look with open eyes.
“From a professional perspective, ask: Who’s not in this room? Who may have a different view, different experience, different perspective that we don’t have in this room?” she said. “And it’s not (about) just having them in the room. It’s about listening to the perspective and attempting to understand and appreciate it.”
More broadly, Black History Month, she said, is just one opportunity to learn about the Black experience on a national scale. It is “important for that experience, impact and history to be seen and heard,” she said. Walters added that if you don’t see yourself in the world, you will have difficulty understanding how you are a part of the world.
“My mother made sure that we saw ourselves in the world,” she said “One way in which she did that was to use a brown crayon to color the people on our birthday cards. At the time, Hallmark Mahogany line of cards, with people of color on them, did not exist.”
Finally, Walters encourages others to regularly seek out articles, books and experiences with people who can provide a different perspective from their own.
