Our Story - Tyler Burns
Aug 31, 2020 | Sports Extra
Tyler Burns is a senior running back on the K-State football team and the chair of the Student-Athlete Social Justice Action Committee.
We spoke with Tyler about the role of the newly-formed committee, his experiences with systemic racism and how K-State can create a more welcoming community for student-athletes of color and those that have come to Manhattan from different countries.
The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Editor's Note: This conversation took place before Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot seven times by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
What inspired you to take on this role with the newly formed Student-Athlete Social Justice Action Committee?
TB: Everyone has talked about how we don't want this to be a moment where people are posting about social justice on social media and not really doing anything about it. At one of the rallies in City Park earlier this summer, Julian Jones was there, and I was talking to him about how we needed to do something. I didn't want us to just show up to protests. Let's try and do something to fix it. Even if it didn't bear fruit right away, at least we could do something to make sure people take notice.
What are some of the different things you're looking to accomplish this year on the committee?
TB: It's a little hard to say because we're brand new and it's been really difficult with COVID-19. We want to have events, bring in speakers, educate people and help people build empathy, but that's hard to do when we can't get together. My role is to make sure we're continuing to take action. Abigail [Archibong], who's on the volleyball team, she's also leading that, as well as Julian. That's the main emphasis: Everyone talks about these great ideas, but then we never do anything about it. I think the biggest part of that is trying to bring people together to learn from other people's stories.
I know you've only had a few chances to meet, but in the conversations that you've had with members of the committee, have you gotten a sense of the different reasons why student-athletes joined this group?
TB: I think the biggest motivation for a lot of people was to continually do things throughout the year. It's about doing more than saying "We don't discriminate" or "We're not racist." I think people wanted to see more action behind it after that constant build-up of names like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Then you had students at K-State tweeting about these racist things with no empathy. Even if someone did something bad, do they really deserve to die? Especially at the hands of a police officer? I think that's why a lot of people put their hearts behind this - they're sick of being frustrated and they want to do something about it.
Some of the names you mentioned have gotten a lot of attention over the last few months, but that kind of systemic racism is nothing new. What experiences in your own life motivated you to take on this position?
TB: I don't know if there's one thing that's driven me. But my Dad's white and my Mom is black - being mixed and going to a predominately white school, nobody ever saw me as white because I don't look it. I think people voice that kind of identity crisis a lot, culturally how do I fit in with white people and black people? You can sometimes feel like you don't fit in with either. That can be good, but it's also kind of isolating at the same time, like I'm not black enough but I'm also not white enough. It can be a beautiful thing, but how do you balance that?
I've experienced direct racism, people thinking that if they spend time with me, they won't get the same opportunities, or I could possibly hold them back. There was somebody I had a crush on, and her parents simply didn't like me because I was black. They didn't want her to be with me or spend time with me. She didn't know that, and it hurt her to find that out about her parents. That didn't stop her from talking to me, but it definitely hindered our friendship. That was the most direct racism I could ever think of.
Then you have the small systemic racism, like people just not noticing the way that they ask black students a question in class. You get asked a question in class, and the way your teacher asks it or the way they approach it - and I've heard this from so many black people - you realize that you're speaking on behalf of all black people. I've checked my friends on this, like you can ask me anything, but don't ask me on behalf of all black people. I can't answer that question because we're all different.
In your experience, how has K-State done in engaging with race and some of these issues?
TB: There's got to be more we can do. That's why people were asking for a multi-cultural center for so long, not to say that white culture doesn't matter, but white culture is the norm. That's the big issue. There are so many other cultures where people don't understand why somebody else might act a certain way. Well, that's their culture. Once you find understanding with those things and hear people's stories, that's how you build empathy. That's such a huge part of it.
I think a course on American Ethnics should be required. You're learning about other cultures in America, whether it's Asian-American, African-American or Hispanics, you're learning about the history of different cultures. It's a great way to have those conversations and it's an introductory level course, so it's not the most difficult, you can ask questions and see the injustice in our own country. It's important to get away from that lens where everything the United States does is right. Every country thinks that way about themselves.
In one of my anthropology classes, Dr. [Michael] Wesch, who is this great anthropology teacher, had this lecture where he spelled America backwards and challenged us to think about how all of these traditions that we have in America are so weird. If you explained football to somebody like, they build these huge stadiums so they can drink beverages that mess with their minds and they cheer as players get a ball across the line while they hit each other. It would sound insane.
You recently earned your bachelor's degree in social science and you mentioned that you're working towards your master's in communications. What are some of your future plans?
TB: Growing up, I always thought that I wanted to be a teacher or a youth pastor, because those are people that can impact the youth directly. A lot of the classes I've taken will hopefully help towards that, but I just want to do something where I can work directly with people and challenge their way of thinking. I also don't want to tell people what to think. Just get uncomfortable and stay open-minded. My faith in Christ fuels a lot of that, just to love people in the best way that I can through whatever sacrifice that might take. That's my hope for my life and one of the biggest reasons for my major.
What would you like to see the committee accomplish for student-athletes and hopefully the entire K-State community? What about inside the K-State Athletic Department?
TB: Personally, I would like to see athletics donate in some fixed way back to the K-State campus, to fund events that bring about education and awareness. Hopefully, that puts money in the students' hands, because we have a great faculty at K-State, but I trust the students more and I want their voices to be heard. I want students to play a part in the decision-making process, so for example, when there's a $5,000 donation, they can help decide what's going to be done. That's a huge hope for me – that through a partnership between K-State Athletics and K-State, students could feel more comfortable on campus.
I think Julian Jones is passionate about that. He wants to make sure student voices are heard and that people will listen to the students. Students-athletes have so much power because of all the things they do for the school, whether they realize it or not. They can have a voice and be smart, logical thinkers that make a difference. Just because they play a sport that doesn't mean they're dumb. That's a stigma that's put on student-athletes and I hate it. People are like "Well you just play football, basketball or volleyball so just shut up." Stand up against that. I want to build up the idea that athletes should be heard, and we can help build a better K-State.
We spoke with Tyler about the role of the newly-formed committee, his experiences with systemic racism and how K-State can create a more welcoming community for student-athletes of color and those that have come to Manhattan from different countries.
The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Editor's Note: This conversation took place before Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot seven times by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
What inspired you to take on this role with the newly formed Student-Athlete Social Justice Action Committee?
TB: Everyone has talked about how we don't want this to be a moment where people are posting about social justice on social media and not really doing anything about it. At one of the rallies in City Park earlier this summer, Julian Jones was there, and I was talking to him about how we needed to do something. I didn't want us to just show up to protests. Let's try and do something to fix it. Even if it didn't bear fruit right away, at least we could do something to make sure people take notice.
What are some of the different things you're looking to accomplish this year on the committee?
TB: It's a little hard to say because we're brand new and it's been really difficult with COVID-19. We want to have events, bring in speakers, educate people and help people build empathy, but that's hard to do when we can't get together. My role is to make sure we're continuing to take action. Abigail [Archibong], who's on the volleyball team, she's also leading that, as well as Julian. That's the main emphasis: Everyone talks about these great ideas, but then we never do anything about it. I think the biggest part of that is trying to bring people together to learn from other people's stories.
I know you've only had a few chances to meet, but in the conversations that you've had with members of the committee, have you gotten a sense of the different reasons why student-athletes joined this group?
TB: I think the biggest motivation for a lot of people was to continually do things throughout the year. It's about doing more than saying "We don't discriminate" or "We're not racist." I think people wanted to see more action behind it after that constant build-up of names like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Then you had students at K-State tweeting about these racist things with no empathy. Even if someone did something bad, do they really deserve to die? Especially at the hands of a police officer? I think that's why a lot of people put their hearts behind this - they're sick of being frustrated and they want to do something about it.
Some of the names you mentioned have gotten a lot of attention over the last few months, but that kind of systemic racism is nothing new. What experiences in your own life motivated you to take on this position?
TB: I don't know if there's one thing that's driven me. But my Dad's white and my Mom is black - being mixed and going to a predominately white school, nobody ever saw me as white because I don't look it. I think people voice that kind of identity crisis a lot, culturally how do I fit in with white people and black people? You can sometimes feel like you don't fit in with either. That can be good, but it's also kind of isolating at the same time, like I'm not black enough but I'm also not white enough. It can be a beautiful thing, but how do you balance that?
I've experienced direct racism, people thinking that if they spend time with me, they won't get the same opportunities, or I could possibly hold them back. There was somebody I had a crush on, and her parents simply didn't like me because I was black. They didn't want her to be with me or spend time with me. She didn't know that, and it hurt her to find that out about her parents. That didn't stop her from talking to me, but it definitely hindered our friendship. That was the most direct racism I could ever think of.
Then you have the small systemic racism, like people just not noticing the way that they ask black students a question in class. You get asked a question in class, and the way your teacher asks it or the way they approach it - and I've heard this from so many black people - you realize that you're speaking on behalf of all black people. I've checked my friends on this, like you can ask me anything, but don't ask me on behalf of all black people. I can't answer that question because we're all different.
In your experience, how has K-State done in engaging with race and some of these issues?
TB: There's got to be more we can do. That's why people were asking for a multi-cultural center for so long, not to say that white culture doesn't matter, but white culture is the norm. That's the big issue. There are so many other cultures where people don't understand why somebody else might act a certain way. Well, that's their culture. Once you find understanding with those things and hear people's stories, that's how you build empathy. That's such a huge part of it.
I think a course on American Ethnics should be required. You're learning about other cultures in America, whether it's Asian-American, African-American or Hispanics, you're learning about the history of different cultures. It's a great way to have those conversations and it's an introductory level course, so it's not the most difficult, you can ask questions and see the injustice in our own country. It's important to get away from that lens where everything the United States does is right. Every country thinks that way about themselves.
In one of my anthropology classes, Dr. [Michael] Wesch, who is this great anthropology teacher, had this lecture where he spelled America backwards and challenged us to think about how all of these traditions that we have in America are so weird. If you explained football to somebody like, they build these huge stadiums so they can drink beverages that mess with their minds and they cheer as players get a ball across the line while they hit each other. It would sound insane.
You recently earned your bachelor's degree in social science and you mentioned that you're working towards your master's in communications. What are some of your future plans?
TB: Growing up, I always thought that I wanted to be a teacher or a youth pastor, because those are people that can impact the youth directly. A lot of the classes I've taken will hopefully help towards that, but I just want to do something where I can work directly with people and challenge their way of thinking. I also don't want to tell people what to think. Just get uncomfortable and stay open-minded. My faith in Christ fuels a lot of that, just to love people in the best way that I can through whatever sacrifice that might take. That's my hope for my life and one of the biggest reasons for my major.
What would you like to see the committee accomplish for student-athletes and hopefully the entire K-State community? What about inside the K-State Athletic Department?
TB: Personally, I would like to see athletics donate in some fixed way back to the K-State campus, to fund events that bring about education and awareness. Hopefully, that puts money in the students' hands, because we have a great faculty at K-State, but I trust the students more and I want their voices to be heard. I want students to play a part in the decision-making process, so for example, when there's a $5,000 donation, they can help decide what's going to be done. That's a huge hope for me – that through a partnership between K-State Athletics and K-State, students could feel more comfortable on campus.
I think Julian Jones is passionate about that. He wants to make sure student voices are heard and that people will listen to the students. Students-athletes have so much power because of all the things they do for the school, whether they realize it or not. They can have a voice and be smart, logical thinkers that make a difference. Just because they play a sport that doesn't mean they're dumb. That's a stigma that's put on student-athletes and I hate it. People are like "Well you just play football, basketball or volleyball so just shut up." Stand up against that. I want to build up the idea that athletes should be heard, and we can help build a better K-State.
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