Cindy Luis: Volleyball celebrating its Black athletes, with many former University of Hawaii players

Ethnic identity.

It seems to be the hot topic these days. As someone who considers herself “hapa” I am happy that there are now options on the census and other surveys asking: What ethnicity do you identify with?

Having been raised “very Portuguese” in San Diego (my grandparents immigrated from Madeira), “Portuguese” is my choice even though it’s only my father’s family. I often marked the box “Other” and advised a relative applying for college to do the same, suggesting that she fill in the line next to “Other” as “Iberian” (Make the questioners look it up).

So it was with much interest that I saw that the American Volleyball Coaches Association had established its Diversity History Commission as part of its Diversity Development Team. In celebration of Black History Month, DHC’s Phase 1 began with five stories featuring defining moments in the sport courtesy of Black athletes.

In March, the commission began a 40-week reveal highlighting 40 Black Americans for their pioneering and influential efforts in volleyball.

Surely the University of Hawaii, with its great volleyball tradition, would have players selected from both its women’s and men’s teams.

No surprise that Rainbow Wahine Teee Williams (1987-89), the national player of the year in 1987 and co-POY in ’89, was on the list announced so far. I would think Deitre Collins, Jason Olive and Joshua Walker would be among the nine remaining between Friday and Dec. 10.

But I was curious about last month’s selection of Kanani Danielson (2008-11), a three-time first-team All-American and the first three-time Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Danielson graduated from Kamehameha Schools, which requires a certain quantum of Hawaiian in order to attend. How did she feel about being identified with an ethnic group that wasn’t the one most in Hawaii think of when hearing her name?

“I think it’s wonderful,” Danielson said in a telephone interview. “I embrace all of my ethnicities, which is how we celebrate in Hawaii.

“I wasn’t raised in that (my father’s) culture but I recognize that lineage as well. My father is from New York and his family is very much helping me become educated about that side. It’s pretty cool what society is embracing. My daughter now has baby books about her heritage that I can read to her.”

Danielson’s daughter Matea turned 1 the same day as the AVCA recognition (Sept. 17).

“I am honored to be selected for the (Black) side of me,” she said. “I embrace it. Half of my athleticism is because of it.

“I’m proud to say I’m chop suey … Hawaiian, Chinese, Irish, Black. I’m proud to be Hawaiian and also Black. It is rare to have both.”

It is. The only Wahine and Warrior volleyball players that come to mind are the late Cia Goods and brother Moses, the latter an actor on NCIS: Hawaii.

Now, too, are the children of Warrior assistant Joshua Walker and former Wahine soccer player Tehane Higa Walker. Youngest son Kupa’a was born in the same month as Matea, and the families are close.

“I know how it feels, my high school team was pretty diverse but my club team wasn’t,” said former Warrior All-American Joshua Walker, who grew up in Virginia Beach, Va. “When you end up being the only minority you feel the pressure to succeed. There are people who only know me as the Black kid who played volleyball.”

As a member of the AVCA’s Diversity Development Team, Walker said his role is to educate others about the opportunities in the sport, from playing to coaching to administration.

“We all love the game and want it to grow in as many communities as possible,” he said. “Until you see someone playing who looks like you, you might not think about playing.”

Teee Williams-Slacanin was honored on July 2, followed by long-time local referee, the late Verneda Thomas, a member of the first U.S. women’s Olympic team in 1964.

Wahine middle blocker Collins, the Broderick Cup winner as the top female amateur athlete in 1983 two-time national player of the year, and member of UH’s NCAA title teams of 1982-83, confirmed she will be recognized in the next few weeks.

Now Collins-Parker, she is the chair of the Diversity History Commission. She has lived through the sport’s acceptance of Black athletes, including as a member of the 1988 Olympic Team.

“My mom was opposed because she didn’t know of many (Blacks) in the sport,” said Collins-Parker, currently the associate head coach at Coastal Carolina. “I once was asked what it was like to be a Black person in a ‘White’ sport. I was so taken aback because I never thought of it like that and I didn’t have an answer.

“What we are trying to do now is tell the stories that haven’t been told. This is just the start of an ongoing story. The perception of the sport is changing.”

Former Long Beach State women’s coach Brian Gimmillaro saw it decades ago. In 1989, when the then-49ers made it to the final four at Blaisdell Arena, he told me he wanted to change the face of women’s volleyball.

It was pre-rally scoring and pre-libero, and Long Beach State swept Nebraska 15-12, 15-0 (yes zero), 15-6 in 65 minutes. (Rally scoring to 15 was used if the match went to five sets, otherwise it was traditional on-serve scoring).

It is doubtful that Long Beach State and Gimmillaro will be remembered for their ground-breaking accomplishments as much as Texas Western’s Don Haskins was in “Glory Road” with the first all-Black lineup to win the NCAA men’s basketball title in 1966. But The Beach was the first to have a predominately Black lineup with four starters.

As the Beach’s Tara Cross — the 1989 co-POY with Teee Williams — said after winning, “I can remember my 13-15 year-old team going to tournaments and out of 260 girls, there were five Blacks in the whole gym,” she said. “There was me, Elaina (Oden of Pacific) Tonya (Teee Williams), Trisonya (LBSU’s Thompson) and Keba (Phipps, who went straight out of high school to the national team).

“We’re always getting mistaken for a basketball or track team, said LBSU’s Cheryl Stephens in 1989. “They never think we’re a volleyball team.”

It’s interesting to look back on the comments made in 1989. Retired Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said then: “Only three Blacks have played for the Wahine, Deitre Collins, (Teee) Williams and Diana Jessie.

“You don’t recruit based on the color of skin, you recruit the athlete.”

I like Gimmillaro’s comment.

“My players may not recognize what they’re doing for the sport but I think pioneers don’t always recognize the importance of their roles,” he said.

As the AVCA celebrates its 40th anniversary with its 40-for-40 Black athletes, Collins-Parker said they will be looking at other ethnic groups to recognize.

“We want to gather information, share the special stories,” she said. “Some of our discussions have been about how to classify and rank this person, that person.

“There are quite a few Asian-Americans. And how do you classify the Puerto Ricans, who are American but not American?

“We realize that all kinds of races have played a part in the sport. We want to bring to light the diversity.”

A start would be the contributions by Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. Among those at the top of the (my) list are Pete Velasco, Jake Highland, Fanny Hopeau, Tita Ahuna, Allen Allen, Fiona Nepo, Robyn Ah Mow.

I applaud what the AVCA is doing. And hope they continue to do so.

It’s a big, diverse world and volleyball is better for it.

https://www.avca.org/awards/diversity-awards.html