- ABC News
- June 5, 2020
Former Alabama gymnast Tia Kiaku described in a social media post on Tuesday the systemic racism she experienced during her time on the team, including a racist joke from an assistant coach and fellow teammates using racist language. Kiaku, who walked onto the team for the 2019 season, shared her experience after the Alabama gymnastics Twitter page posted a #BlackoutTuesday message with the word, "Unity." She wrote, in part, "Do we really stand together?" Kiaku told ESPN of an incident in which an assistant coach made a comment when three black women were doing vault drills together: "What is this, the back of the bus?" She also said there were numerous occasions in which white women on the team used the N-word without repercussions. Kiaku filed a formal Title IX complaint but said only the joke was investigated and that the assistant coach, who was not identified, was given a warning and allowed to remain on the team. "They said he had something on his record but would remain...