Courtnie Williamson became North Carolina’s first Black field hockey captain during the 2020 season. Although Williamson was honored, she also felt disappointed that it took UNC so long to have its first Black field hockey captain.
Williamson, motivated by her frustration, a sense of responsibility and racial equality issues, decided to reach out to Duke field hockey player Darcy Bourne — an ardent advocate for social and racial justice — about starting an organization to help empower minority athletes.
“I wanted somebody to help me also use their position of power to create some change,” Williamson said. “I thought, 'What better way than to show if we can bridge the gap between Duke and UNC?' That just shows even more how important this cause is.”
Numerous meetings, phone calls and Zoom sessions later, Williamson and Bourne launched Beyond Our Game — a nonprofit organization currently serving hundreds of Division I athletes — in February 2021.
While developing Beyond Our Game, Williamson and Bourne created a "two-tier business model" that gave the organization a clear direction. Their goals include preparing athletes for careers after college and creating a community of support and service.
Beyond Our Game’s recent work continues to move the organization and its members closer to achieving these goals.
In February, Duke sophomore football player DeWayne Carter shared his story of experiencing racial stereotyping and inequality in sports on Beyond Our Game’s website. Williamson and Bourne have high hopes that his story, along with others', will help build a supportive community among Beyond Our Game athletes.
“It’s not often that a man, or specifically a Black man, has a moment of vulnerability where they just get to say, ‘This is something that I’ve struggled with and that I’d like to be supported in,’” Williamson said. “I think his story served as a catalyst for other people in his sport and in his community to think and to feel comfortable saying ‘I’m struggling with this too.'”
Carter said he hopes his story brings awareness to racial equality issues and lets other athletes know they are not alone in experiencing racial inequality. He also shared his excitement about Beyond Our Game’s career services and employer database, which connects employers to vetted and qualified Beyond Our Game athletes looking to enter the workforce.
