Finding Belonging: Culture, Visibility, and the Power of Representation in Sport

The video posted by McMaster Marauders featuring the Executive Members of the Indigenous Student-Athlete Council (ISAC), which I have the privilege of supporting, moved me to write down my thoughts. Seeing culture celebrated so openly reminded me of why visibility matters and why we need to create spaces where every student-athlete can belong. I was particularly moved by what a few ISAC members shared around invisible aspects of identity. This is something that I have struggled with as a proud Black- and Irish-Canadian — what I know to be true about who I am at my core and what others see and are willing to accept have often been at odds. Although I have processed this dissonance, this video reminds me that stories like mine are so very important and that culture is not something anyone can take away from you.

Please view the beautifully captured video here (Kudos to the artist Colin Wouda, a true visionary): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mcmaster-marauders_indigenous-truthandreconciliation-firstnations-activity-7379155610564468736-SUUe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAACRmbXcBj6MDlYTEkm9JFH6jdjBSFsulcq8

When culture is stripped away, it often leaves behind uncertainty about who you are and where you belong. For Indigenous peoples, this disconnection was rooted in forced assimilation through residential schools. For Black communities, histories were lost through enslavement and the transatlantic slave trade. And for so many of us, the search for reconnection continues.

That uncertainty doesn’t just happen—it serves those in power. If there are fewer of us connected to culture, our voices are easier to drown out. If our existence and the visibility we demand go away, power is maintained by the “majority,” the most visible group. Ambiguity becomes a tool. You’re aligned with whiteness so you can be added to the masses, told to be satisfied because you are adjacent to power—but that power is always just beyond your reach. Our voices are drowned out by the tidal wave of mass opinion, keeping power reserved for those who have always held it. Your needs and values, shaped by who you are at your core, are ignored or swept aside.

The journey from being told you’re “not Indigenous enough” or, in my case, “not Black enough,” to reaching self-acceptance and finding community is powerful—especially for young people. Sport, for many, is about belonging. But cultural and identity connection is an added layer of complexity that isn’t always afforded equally to every student-athlete.

Getting involved with community and looking for acceptance from inside myself changed everything. As my sister always reminded me, no one can take away your culture or who you are. This is a sentiment I see so wonderfully portrayed by the video that inspired this post.

Cultural connection, celebration, and visibility give student-athletes more ways to belong, to feel heard, to strengthen their mental health and well-being—and to have fuller, richer sport experiences. Representation matters.

This is why the McMaster video featuring ISAC resonated so strongly. This kind of visibility is so important. It shows the next generation where they can go to find connection and feed their soul. I try to be as visible as I can so the next generation knows this is what Black looks like. That Black is diverse and rich—just like the experiences shared by the students in this video.

At Sport ExtendED, we have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to create spaces where cultural connection and visibility are prioritized alongside athletic development. This means amplifying diverse voices, celebrating cultural identities, and ensuring student-athletes feel fully seen, heard, and valued—both on and off the field. By embedding cultural connection into sport programming, mentorship, and community initiatives, we help young people belong, strengthen their mental health, and build confidence to show up as their whole selves. Representation isn’t just symbolic—it transforms experiences, opens doors, and signals to the next generation that their identity, culture, and voice matter.