1941 Harvard–Navy lacrosse game facts for kids
The Harvard-Navy lacrosse game of 1941 was an important lacrosse game played in Annapolis, Maryland. It happened between the Harvard University Crimson team and the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen on April 4, 1941. Before the game, the Naval Academy's leader said that the Navy team would not play against a team with a black player.
Harvard had one black player, Lucien Alexis Jr. He decided to leave the team after Harvard's athletic director told the coach to send him home. Harvard's players and their coach had actually voted to give up the game instead of playing without him. But the game still happened. Both Harvard's and the Naval Academy's leaders were criticized for what they did.
The Game Day Events
On April 3, 1941, the Harvard lacrosse team arrived in Annapolis, Maryland. They were there to play against the Naval Academy. The Naval Academy's leader, Rear Admiral Russell Willson, found out that Harvard's team included a black player, Lucien Alexis Jr. He told Harvard's coach, Dick Snibbe, and athletic director, William J. Bingham, that Navy would not play against a team that had both white and black players.
The Harvard coach and Alexis's teammates were upset. They decided to give up the game and go back to Harvard. But Mr. Bingham, the athletic director, stepped in. He told the Harvard coach to send Alexis home and play the game anyway. When Alexis heard this, he chose to leave on his own. He told his teammates it was his idea. The game was played the next day as planned. Navy won the game 12–0.
How People Reacted
Harvard's student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, found out what happened. They strongly criticized Mr. Bingham and Harvard's leaders. The newspaper said that Harvard had given in to unfair rules. They believed that when the country and colleges talk about equality, they should actually practice it.
Mr. Bingham responded by saying: "We were guests of the Naval Academy and had no choice. If the game had been played at Harvard, I would have insisted that he be allowed to play."
Newspapers in Boston and New York City also wrote about the story. They criticized both Harvard's and the Naval Academy's leaders. The Harvard Council for Democracy in Education even complained to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the Naval Academy's actions. Harvard's main governing body told Mr. Bingham and the Harvard Athletic Association to tell all future sports opponents that the school would not allow any more racial discrimination against its student athletes.
One week after this event, Alexis and the Harvard lacrosse team traveled to West Point, New York. They were there to play a game against the United States Military Academy. Unlike the Navy, West Point welcomed Alexis and his team. A group of cheering cadets, including black cadets, greeted them.
This incident, along with others, helped convince President Roosevelt to sign Executive Order 8802 in June 1941. This order made it illegal to discriminate based on race in jobs related to national defense.
What Happened Later
In 1949, Wesley A. Brown became the first black student to graduate from the Naval Academy. On May 10, 2008, a new building on the Naval Academy campus was named after him. It is called the Wesley Brown Field House. Mr. Brown was there for the opening ceremony.
Lucien Victor Alexis (1887-1981), who graduated from Harvard in 1917, became an officer in the US Army. He later became the principal of the only black high school in New Orleans. His son, Lucien Victor Alexis Jr., also graduated from Harvard. He served in World War II. After the war, he earned another degree from Harvard Business School. He later led a business college for black students in New Orleans. His daughter, Lurita Alexis Doan, became a successful businesswoman. She was also the first woman and second African American to lead the General Services Administration from 2006 to 2008.
