1941 Harvard–Navy lacrosse game
Encyclopedia
The Harvard-Navy lacrosse game of 1941 was an intercollegiate lacrosse
College lacrosse
College lacrosse refers to lacrosse played by student athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played in both the varsity and club levels...

 game between the Harvard University Crimson
Harvard Crimson men's lacrosse
The Harvard Crimson men's lacrosse team represents Harvard University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...

 and the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen
Navy Midshipmen men's lacrosse
The Navy Midshipmen men's lacrosse team represents the United States Naval Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse. Navy currently competes as a member of the Patriot League and play their home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland...

 on April 4, 1941. The game was played at Navy's campus in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...

. Before the game, the Naval Academy's superintendent told Harvard that the Navy team would not play against a racially integrated team. Harvard's team had one black player, Lucien Alexis Jr. Harvard ordered Alexis home and the game went on as scheduled, which Navy won 12-0. Harvard's and the Naval Academy's administrations were criticized for their actions.

Game

On April 3, 1941 the Harvard lacrosse team's 18 players arrived at Annapolis, Maryland to play the Naval Academy in a scheduled intercollegiate match. That day, the Naval Academy's superintendent, Rear Admiral Russell Wilson discovered that Harvard's team included one black player, Lucien Alexis Jr. Wilson informed Harvard's coach, Dick Snibbe, and athletic director, William J. Bingham, that the Navy's squad would not play against a racially integrated team.

Angry at the Navy's stance, Snibbe and Alexis' teammates elected to forfeit the game and return to Harvard. Bingham, however, intervened and ordered the Harvard coach to send Alexis home and play the game. Learning of Bingham's directive, Alexis voluntarily decided to depart and told his teammates that it was his idea. The game was played as scheduled the next day and Navy won 12-0.

Reaction

Harvard's student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...

, learned of the incident and sharply criticized Bingham and Harvard's administration. The newspaper said of the incident, "Those officials here who asked the negro to return to college should explain the reasons for their actions by which Harvard has kow-towed to Jim-Crowism
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...

. Navy bigwigs should also be taught that when this country, this college and the navy itself declare their faith in democratic equality, they mean to practice what they preach." Bingham justified his actions by saying, "We were guests of the Naval Academy and had no choice in the matter. Had the game been played at Cambridge, I would have insisted that he be allowed to participate."

Newspapers in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 picked-up the story and criticized Harvard's and the Naval Academy's administrations for their behavior. The Harvard Council for Democracy in Education complained to US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt about the Navy's actions in the incident. In response, the Harvard Corporation told Bingham and the Harvard Athletic Association to inform all future sports competitors that the school would not tolerate further racial discrimination of its student athletes.

One week after the incident, Alexis and the rest of Harvard's lacrosse team traveled to West Point, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 to play a game against the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

's Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

. In contrast to the reception the Navy had given Harvard's team, at West Point a cordon of cheering cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...

s, led by black cadets attending the academy, welcomed Alexis and his team.

Later events

The first black student to graduate from the Naval Academy — Wesley A. Brown
Wesley A. Brown
Wesley Anthony Brown was the first African American graduate of the U.S Naval Academy , in Annapolis, Maryland. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and served in the U.S Navy from May 2, 1944–June 30, 1969.-Early life:He graduated from Dunbar High School, where he was Cadet Corps...

 — graduated in 1949. On May 10, 2008, a dedication ceremony was held on the Naval Academy campus for its newest building, the Wesley Brown Field House
Wesley Brown Field House
The Wesley Brown Field House is a sports arena at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is located between the 7th Wing of Bancroft Hall and Santee Basin. The facility houses physical education, varsity sports, club sports, and personal-fitness programs and equipment...

. Brown participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony
Ribbon cutting ceremony
]A ribbon cutting ceremony is a public ceremony conducted to inaugurate the opening to the general public of a new building or business.Often, the ceremony is conducted in just the manner the name suggests: by tying a ceremonial ribbon across the main entrance of the building, which is then cut in...

with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. Also present were almost one thousand guests.
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