UNIty Walk gives Antwan Kimmons opportunity to find voice
2/18/2022 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Opportunities at UNI are giving Antwan Kimmons the time to develop his leadership skills while playing on the men's basketball team.
As a native from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Kimmons wasn't used to the smaller community that Cedar Falls has to offer. He found being a part of a smaller community gives him a greater chance to be a role model for young basketball players on and off the court.Â
"One of my goals is to be a probation officer, but I want to have my own business where my friends can join me," Kimmons stated. "To be a probation officer, you must go to college for four years, and college isn't for everybody. I have friends who have been through stuff and have seen stuff. They know the ropes. So for them to help kids and be there for kids, knowing what they are experiencing, would be the best thing for those kids."Â
Kimmons stepped out of his comfort zone this past October at the second annual student-led UNIty Walk to speak up about racism and being a young, Black man living in America in hopes of demonstrating why it's important to stop stereotyping.
"People are going to be racist, people are going to stereotype, people are going to do that regardless so do what you can. You can't stop anyone from doing what you want to do," Kimmons said. "We can't stress over the people that don't want to change or fix the problem. All we can do is be the best that we can be and do our job to stop the problem."Â
Contrary to his big personality on the court, Kimmons wasn't always a fan of speaking in front of large groups. He found that speaking up at the UNIty walk was one way to step out of his comfort zone while educating others.Â
"I feel more comfortable and accustomed to it [speaking in large groups]. If I was asked to do it again, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I plan to speak next year and go deeper into the meaning of it," Kimmons said. "Another reason I did it is that it helps me become a better leader. It takes a lot of guts to do something like that."Â
UNI student-athletes orchestrated the UNIty walk in 2020, inviting fellow student-athletes, professors, employees, students and anyone else could join and walk in solidarity to show support regardless of sex, gender, race or ethnicity.Â
The annual march begins at the McLeod Center and ends at the Campanile, where student-athletes can use their voices and educate others on social injustices that need to be addressed. This was Kimmons' first year attending the student-led UNIty walk after taking the year off and moving back home to support his family during the first surge of COVID-19.Â
"I decided that the best thing for me was to go home, especially during COVID. I had to be there for my mom and my sister, so I made that choice," Kimmons said.
Kimmons is a junior majoring in sociology and a guard for the men's basketball team.
As a native from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Kimmons wasn't used to the smaller community that Cedar Falls has to offer. He found being a part of a smaller community gives him a greater chance to be a role model for young basketball players on and off the court.Â
"One of my goals is to be a probation officer, but I want to have my own business where my friends can join me," Kimmons stated. "To be a probation officer, you must go to college for four years, and college isn't for everybody. I have friends who have been through stuff and have seen stuff. They know the ropes. So for them to help kids and be there for kids, knowing what they are experiencing, would be the best thing for those kids."Â
Kimmons stepped out of his comfort zone this past October at the second annual student-led UNIty Walk to speak up about racism and being a young, Black man living in America in hopes of demonstrating why it's important to stop stereotyping.
"People are going to be racist, people are going to stereotype, people are going to do that regardless so do what you can. You can't stop anyone from doing what you want to do," Kimmons said. "We can't stress over the people that don't want to change or fix the problem. All we can do is be the best that we can be and do our job to stop the problem."Â
Contrary to his big personality on the court, Kimmons wasn't always a fan of speaking in front of large groups. He found that speaking up at the UNIty walk was one way to step out of his comfort zone while educating others.Â
"I feel more comfortable and accustomed to it [speaking in large groups]. If I was asked to do it again, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I plan to speak next year and go deeper into the meaning of it," Kimmons said. "Another reason I did it is that it helps me become a better leader. It takes a lot of guts to do something like that."Â
UNI student-athletes orchestrated the UNIty walk in 2020, inviting fellow student-athletes, professors, employees, students and anyone else could join and walk in solidarity to show support regardless of sex, gender, race or ethnicity.Â
The annual march begins at the McLeod Center and ends at the Campanile, where student-athletes can use their voices and educate others on social injustices that need to be addressed. This was Kimmons' first year attending the student-led UNIty walk after taking the year off and moving back home to support his family during the first surge of COVID-19.Â
"I decided that the best thing for me was to go home, especially during COVID. I had to be there for my mom and my sister, so I made that choice," Kimmons said.
Kimmons is a junior majoring in sociology and a guard for the men's basketball team.
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