MM 7.14: Three Maryland athletes, three staff members to attend Big Ten’s Big Life Series trip

Six members of the Maryland athletic department will be part of a group of 100 people that the Big Ten is sending to the “Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery” trip this upcoming weekend from July 15-17, per release.

Rainelle Jones of Maryland volleyball and Destiny Ward and Nyela Williams of Maryland track and field are the three student-athletes that will represent the school. Senior associate athletic director Cynthia Edmunds, head team physician Dr. Yvette Rooks and graduate assistant Jada Anderson will be the other Terps in attendance.

In March of 1965, non-violent protestors marched from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, the capital of the state, to fight for African-American citizens’ constitutional right to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting, was ultimately passed on Aug. 6 of that year. The route that the protestors took was later officially commemorated as the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

“We established the Big Life Series to help further prepare our student-athletes to impact the world beyond their athletic careers,” Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren said in Wednesday’s release. “Our trip to Selma and Montgomery is a first in a series of trips that our student-athletes, administrators, and members of the Big Ten Equality Coalition will take to inspire a meaningful dialogue about racial, social, religious, and cultural injustices in our nation. Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery will empower our Big Ten Conference family to use their voices to drive change in their respective communities.”

Attendees will begin the trip in Montgomery on Friday and will travel to Selma on Saturday before returning to Montgomery. The trip will feature keynote speakers, documentary viewings and trips to landmarks and museums. The conference announced it will provide the necessary “tools and opportunities” to each member of the trip to communicate the importance of their journey to their peers.

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