By Haeley Huggard
Where Carlos McMath grew up, there were two choices for how to spend his time: be an athlete or be out in the streets.
“One of the things that I learned early on in childhood was that you can never take the pride out of the struggle,” says McMath. “Meaning, you are more prideful when that struggle comes.”
McMath grew up in a single parent household with a mother that worked two fast food jobs to support her children. Though the family had their struggles, the McMath family worked tirelessly to overcome adversities and take care of one another.
“Our neighborhood we grew up in was very rough, but at the same time extremely challenging,” says McMath. “Around fourth or fifth grade, I read a poem called ‘Mother to Son.’ What it talks about is […] that life is not built on crystal staircases — there are going to be bumps along the road, but you have to hold your head up and keep persevering.”
On Monday, Jan. 20, McMath was presented with the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Award at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw.
“I feel overwhelmed and humbled that, first of all, anyone would even nominate me,” says McMath, “to believe that I have that type of spirit […] It’s a testament to the way I was raised.”
McMath’s family was enthused about him receiving the Spirit of MLK Jr. Award. His wife, Asheley McMath, has encouraged him along his journey.
“They seemed more excited than when I won coach of the year, so it was really big for them, but they understand how hard I work and how much this means to me,” says Carlos McMath. “My wife has been by my side the entire time and she’s been supportive; she’s also held me accountable when I didn’t want to be. She is my biggest cheerleader.”
McMath graduated in 2005 from Arthur Hill High School and went to college at Wayne State University. He continued his studies at Thomas M. Cooley College and eventually graduated from the Michigan State University College of Law in 2013.
“I came to Delta as an assistant basketball coach,” says McMath. “Then I became head coach, then I got my first job downstairs, and I think Dr. [Jean] Goodnow admired some of the work that I was doing [because] she appointed me to be the first Director of Diversity and Inclusion here.”
McMath devotes his time to promoting diversity in his community and on Delta’s campus, but he thinks forums such as social media — and the media in general — still need improvement.
“I think there are a lot of times in which we have conversations that are filled with hypersensitive terms, but people don’t understand what those terms mean, or understand language and how powerful it is and the everlasting effect that it has,” says McMath.
McMath stresses the need to have more conversations with people that are not filtered through only one lens. Talk to people who are different — whether it’s someone with a different sexuality, ethnicity or religion.
“Inclusion is the air that we breathe,” says McMath. “Exclusion equals suffocation, and so we have to be more inclusive.”
Aside from encouraging diversity on Delta’s campus, McMath remains active in his community and encourages the next generation to flaunt their talents.
“There’s a lot of times when people have talent and don’t want to show it in their community — they’d rather go elsewhere and let that talent be recognized,” says McMath. “I think the biggest thing that anyone can ever do is go back home and then show people that, ‘hey, I made it from here and I am continuing to strive for success and greatness and you can do the same thing.’ Just being that beacon of light.”
