ACC Unity Tour - Walking in the Footsteps of Change
Walking in the Footsteps of Change
Zakye Barker, Nico Sobenes, Aubrey Brown and Jasmine Franklin
This summer, four SMU student-athletes joined a powerful journey into the heart of the American South—a trip that offered more than just a history lesson.
Zakye Barker, Nico Sobenes, Aubrey Brown, and Jasmine Franklin were among the 40 Atlantic Coast Conference athletes selected to take part in the second-annual ACC Unity Tour, an immersive experience that spanned Montgomery, Selma, and Tuskegee, Alabama.
The goal was simple but profound: to deepen their understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and the leaders who helped shape it, while also reflecting on how that legacy connects to their own identities and roles as student-athletes today.
For Brown, a member of the women’s soccer team, the impact was immediate.
“The trip was really motivating,” she said. “It showed us that with concerted efforts, if we stay dedicated, even if there’s not a lot of people behind us who want to do the work to lay that foundation, we’re gonna be able to bear fruit from it.”
Finding Purpose in the Past
Each SMU student-athlete came to the tour with different motivations. Still, a shared curiosity connected them all—curiosity about history, about themselves, and about how they could contribute to moving the conversation forward.
“I just wanted to understand the history better and thought it would be very interesting,” Sobenes, a member of the swim team, said. “I love American history, so I was really intrigued by this.”
“I knew we were taught a lot in classrooms, but I felt like I needed to gain more knowledge and actually stand in their perspective and be where they were to understand,” said Franklin, a sprinter for SMU track & field.
Barker, a linebacker on the football team, admitted he hadn’t fully anticipated the depth of the experience when he signed up—but that quickly changed.
“I was blind going into it, honestly, and I didn’t really know much,” he said. “Until we got the pre-work and saw how in-depth we were going and how much we were actually going to learn, it caught me off guard. It was a beautiful thing to see everything unravel.”
From walking the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to visiting the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, the tour brought history into sharp focus.
For Franklin, simply being present in those spaces was surreal.
“I was just like, ‘They were really here years ago, and now I’m here walking,’” she said. “This is crazy.”
Brown found herself moved by a conversation with the mayor of Selma, whose firsthand account connected past to present in a striking way.
“It was really crazy to see how much has changed in one lifetime,” she said, “but also how much people carry those experiences with them throughout their lives and how it motivates them.”
Barker, too, felt the weight of history—and the value of hearing from others experiencing it alongside him.
“We’re talking about athletes from different backgrounds, different parts of the community, and different parts of the country who play for different schools,” he said. “To be around those people and to get everybody’s viewpoint was incredibly special.”
Leadership, Legacy, and Living with Conviction
As the tour unfolded, the stories of civil rights leaders left a deep impression on the group.
One moment that stuck with Barker came during a visit with longtime activist Doris Crenshaw, who spoke about Rosa Parks and the quiet strength that fueled her resistance.
“She said she (Rosa Parks) had a type of aura about her—that you knew she was passionate about what she believed in,” Barker said. “I feel like that’s something I need to be able to take and have that sense about me where I’m willing to die for the things that I’m passionate about.”
Crenshaw’s words echoed powerfully for Franklin as well, who took her message as a personal challenge.
“I’ll add something that Ms. Crenshaw said: ‘If you have a passion, go after it. If only a few people go with you, that’s OK because you must stand on the courage of your convictions,’” Franklin said.
For student-athletes who balance the weight of school, competition, and leadership, that idea resonated in ways both personal and profound.
“Not everyone understands the sacrifices student-athletes make, so while others are sleeping and laying around while you’re traveling for games and catching up, it can feel like you’re alone and missing out,” Franklin said. “If you stay focused on your goals and distractions everywhere, it also means you’re staying true to who you are.”
Barker, too, felt the weight of history—and the value of hearing from others experiencing it alongside him. “We’re talking about athletes from different backgrounds, different parts of the community, and different parts of the country who play for different schools,” he said. “To be around those people and to get everybody’s viewpoint was incredibly special.”
Building a Better Community
The ACC Unity Tour wasn’t just about remembering the past—it was also about reimagining the future, particularly for student-athletes at institutions like SMU.
Brown saw a clear takeaway for her own campus.
“It’s a great time to be a student-athlete at SMU right now, but there’s also a lot of work to be done in terms of building a sense of community among the student-athletes,” she said. “I think this trip has been motivating and showing that with concerted efforts, if we stay dedicated, we’re going to be able to bear fruit from it.”
She understands that community building starts with connection—and that connection takes listening.
“Your vision has to include them and appeal to what they need,” Brown said. “So that’s something I’m definitely going to be taking away in this next year and moving forward. As you try to build more community and advocate for other people, you need to make sure you’re tapped into what they feel like they need if you want to bring them along.”
Carrying the Message Forward
As they returned to campus, the four SMU student-athletes each carried something different from the tour, but all shared a renewed commitment to purpose and unity.
“We’re all one human race,” Barker said. “It’s not about being better than the next. It’s about us fighting for equity and fighting for equality so we’re all on the same playing field.”
Franklin is still finding the right words to express what she experienced—but she knows she wants to share it.
“I really haven’t had a chance to talk to everyone about it yet because I’m still taking in everything,” she said. “I know while we were at the airport, we talked about having a luncheon panel where we will talk to all athletes and just tell them about the experience and tell them how we can work together and just spread the message.”
Sobenes, reflecting on the history of protest and student-led change, sees parallels to today.
“I hope it helps others understand that real change—especially within big institutions like universities or corporations—often comes with a cost,” he said. “Hearing stories about the student protests of the ’60s and ’70s, like how Miss Crenshaw was expelled for standing up for what she believed in, reminded me that doing the right thing isn’t easy. When there’s something to lose, people hesitate, but those who speak up anyway are the ones who move things forward.”
The ACC Unity Tour left more than memories—it left a charge. For Brown, Franklin, Barker, and Sobenes, the path forward is clearer now. As athletes, leaders, and change-makers, they return to SMU with the knowledge that even one voice—rooted in conviction—can echo across generations.