Three Dimensions of a Complete Life and Black Student-Athlete Empowerment
I recall being fourteen when my grandmother entered my room and handed me what appeared to be a vintage document. It was covered with dust, blemished, and had a distinct odor that pervaded throughout the delicate pages. In her soft angelic tone, she declared the document as a classic and one that would be vital in my navigation of life as a Black man in America. As a young avid read, I was immediately intrigued by the title “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
I was immediately captured by King’s prophetic tone of explicating his view of a complete life. King contended that there are three dimensions of a complete life: length, breadth, and height. His assessment argued the length (representing the push toward purpose and personal welfare), breadth (a fervent focus on serving others and “pulling up” your fellow man, and height (an ascension toward God and his omnipotent power). To this end, King maintained that the completion of life is analogous to a triangle — maximization of self, servanthood, and the supreme being.
King’s guidance can be particularly instructive in this potentially transformative political and spiritual moment for Black student-athletes. The murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others at the hands of police, has sparked outrage, but also backed the world into a moment of reflection and reassessment. For Black student-athletes, it has caused a questioning of identity, place, and agency.
As the reality of college athletics continues to be replete with unnerving exposures, I encourage Black student-athletes to use this time of uncertainty to rise above the despair and uncertainty of possible non-competition, unsustainable day-to-day norms, and the demands of serving overly-zealous stakeholders who typically know you by number than name. King’s “Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” can serve as a roadmap and reminds us to invoke spirit in charting the course.
Length in purpose, identity, and calling. King argued that there is power in rational and healthy self-interest. This is a time for Black student-athletes to be introspective and discover “inner powers” that perhaps have been dormant. One’s influence, leadership, self-determination, and self-acceptance are all areas ripe for exploration and development.
It is imperative that Black student-athletes move at the level of their calling. This is not a time to fall prey to false narratives of intellectual inferiority and marginalized expectations, but a moment to step into one’s fullest potential. Beyond sport, there is the role of Spirit…of divine purpose that permeates beyond courts, fields, and spaces of physical competition. This is a time to engage every facet of oneself — spirit, intellect, and physical.
Moreover, this awakening and adherence to calling must emerge from one’s own self and spiritual reflection, rather than outside impositions. Signing a letter of intent is laudable, but there is nothing within that document that demands your “withdrawal of self. ” One must refuse to comply with demands that work as mental and emotional controls that result in anti-liberation of choice, constrained self-possibilities, and autonomy. I encourage the Black student-athletes to make “signing day” a day of declaration…a day of commitment toward purpose, self-ownership, and an unwavering pursuit of achievement.
Prioritize the “breadth” of service to others. King maintained, “An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns for the broader concerns for all of humanity.” A contemporary demonstration of King’s view on the breadth of life is captured in the heroic efforts of Kylin Hill, a standout first-team All SEC football student-athlete at Mississippi State. Kylin’s emphatic remarks related to the Confederate emblem on the Mississippi flag drew national attention and resulted in a monumental shift and recognition for change. For his courageous act, Kylin was celebrated and presented with the key to the city of his hometown of Columbus, Mississippi. John Cohen, Director of Athletics at Mississippi State attended the ceremony and offered, “Kylin shared an emboldened belief held by many Mississippians that a paradigm-shifting change needed to be made. It was time for a new flag.” Kylin’s impact was far-reaching and will have an ineradicable influence on global consciousness.
Kylin’s work also hails from a long history of courageous Black sports figures, to whom we must give homage. Honoring this legacy means educating ourselves on those who fought for justice, endured firehoses and billy clubs, men who were mentally and emotionally emasculated, and women who were dehumanized and assailed. Your motivation to push for change needs to come from a reverence of Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Wilma Rudolph, Fred Milton, Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali and the many others who were dedicated to not only excellence in sport, but advancing change. Like Kylin, Black student-athletes must honor those who walked before them by committing themselves to the cause of universal freedom and justice.
Commit to the height of life and a higher power. The final dimension of a complete life contended by King focused on a devoted reach beyond self and humanity. It is a clarion call to reach up toward God. The Apostle Paul proclaimed in Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark of a higher call.” It is critically important for Black student-athletes to understand that the victories of change will be limited without the power of an omnipotent source. They must also engage even more diligently in spiritual practice as they do practice for their sport. This will progress them forward toward the zenith of the supreme guidance of the Almighty.
Additionally, this reach for “height” is not solely an individual one; it must be a unified and shared effort. Much like a championship 400-meter relay race where it is not only how fast you can run, but how well can pass the baton. The ascension toward the “Higher Power” rests in your ability to assist your teammate in the elevation.
To this end, the upward reach toward God is designed for you to be a vessel combating the ever-present injustices that afflict our world. Racism, discrimination, disparities in education, lack of access to health care, and the prevalence of police brutality must be defeated. Black student-athletes are uniquely called. How to serve is not written in a playbook, team rules, or outdated athletics department operational manual. Instead, Black student-athletes must engage the three dimensions offered by Dr. King in order to leave their mark on not only their sport, but the world.
