NFL
By: Zachary Draves
Throughout her Olympic journey this past year, Gwen Berry had to bear the brunt of vicious attacks from the cream of the crop of the American insurrection.
The East St. Louis based hammer thrower made her first Olympic appearance in Tokyo with the world watching her every move not just for her throwing skills but anticipating whether or not she would protest if she got on the podium.
(Courtesy: Teen Vogue)
After all Gwen had already established herself as a venerable athlete activist who wasn’t the least bit shy of speaking truth to power.
At the 2019 Pan Am games in Peru, she raised a clenched fist during the playing of the national anthem after winning gold.
(Courtesy: ESPN)
Then at the recent Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, she turned her back to the flag and donned a t-shirt that read “Athlete Activist” during the anthem after placing third and securing her spot on the US team.
(Courtesy: MarketWatch)
(Courtesy: CNN)
It was afterward that she incurred the wrath of pseudo patriots who chastised her blackness, called for her removal from the team, and demanded she be kicked out the country but of course that screams rationality (eye roll).
When in truth Gwen is more of a patriot than these people ever will be because she loves this country enough, to paraphrase James Baldwin, that she is willing to critique it perpetually.
In other words, America is not living up to its ideals and needs to be called out for doing so.
There is nothing more American than wanting America to do better.
No matter what these people try to say and do, Gwen is holding her ground and is unrelenting in her quest for justice and I had the privilege of speaking to her to get her thoughts on her Olympic experience, her activism, and what the future holds for her.
(Courtesy: CBC)
She is just unapologetically herself.
Was Tokyo everything you thought it was going to be and what were your biggest takeaways?
I think Tokyo was better than expected just because of how the world was at the time. Because of the pandemic, we didn’t have any spectators, friends, or family and we couldn’t even go to other sporting events but I think we should all applaud the government because they still managed to put on one hell of a show and they made sure all the athletes were protected. They made sure all the athletes were supported as much as they could be. They made everything pretty easy and it was very smooth sailing. It was very disciplined and organized and it was amazing despite it being not a normal Olympic games.
Given the fact that spectators weren’t allowed, how did you keep in contact with family?
One good thing about the Olympic Games this year of course was the media. The media companies made sure they did their part to keep the world up to date. So they made better avenues so that the general public could all events at any time of the day. I think that was pretty good. I was able to keep in touch with family by letting them know when my streams were available or when I would be competing and of course on FaceTime, Facebook, Instagram, and social media in general.
What was the competition on the field like?
The competition on the field, I would say during qualifying, it was kind of nerve-racking. Everyone was nervous, no one really interacted with each other because everybody was just trying to make it through to the second day. For the girls who made it to the finals, I think it was kind of easier than they expected. Everybody put on their best show. As American throwers, we wanted to be better, but the competition was normal and everybody did the best that they can do.
Obliviously Twitter ran amok with you and everything that you are about and folks are coming left and right to take shots at you, did you try to distance yourself as much as you could from what was being said and focus on what you were trying to do on the field?
Yeah definitely. It was hard to compartmentalize everything but because I was getting so much it was hard to see everything. I would see little jabs and comments here and there but I couldn’t see everything. All my friends back home were saying “did you see what people are posting about you?” and I was like “I have seen some of it but it is impossible to see all of it.” I think during the finals I probably got distracted because of my own merit and wanting to do good, throwing far and medal but I think I was overthinking a lot of things. But as far as the world goes, I think I did a good job of blocking everything out especially because we were in different time zones so it was easy for me to dodge everything that I was receiving.
How was the support of teammates? Did they rally around you for the most part?
Oh yeah for sure. My teammates surrounded me with love because they know who I am. That’s the most important thing because anytime you go against the grain or anytime you’re playing for power it is important to have a solid support team that cares about you not just as an athlete but as a human being. I was fortunate to have people who generally care about me on my side.
You have been called every name in the book and people were calling for you to get kicked off the team, what would you say is the biggest misconception about who you are and what you stand for?
I feel like the biggest misconception about me is patriotism or that I am a bad person because I am not standing for something that speaks for everybody. If you go against the grain in America or you question its morals and principles that doesn’t mean you hate something it just means that you don’t agree with something that everybody knows needs to change and revolutionize. If you see me it’s not because I don’t like America if you see me I know that in America things should be better, which is a fact.
What’s next for you in terms of your hammer throwing and activism?
I have been doing some work with Uninterrupted which is LeBron James’ company. So I have a couple of things coming out with them and an official documentary. I also have a project coming out with a really iconic athlete Michael Johnson. As far as my activism, I am going to school now to get my degree in Public Health with a focus on cultural competency so that I can further do my part in the world to help who I need to help.
Where are you going to school at?
Tennessee State University.
How did you get in contact with Uninterrupted?
They contacted me. I have been sending them a couple of things including my PSAs.
Can we expect you at the World Championships next year and Paris in 2024?
We will see about Paris in 2024 that is a long way from now but I am definitely going for the World Championships which will be in America so I encourage people to look out for that.
