Black University of Maryland freshman and club tennis athlete Camryn Bryant was not expecting to be confronted with a racist controversy when she joined the team.
That is now the case, though, after unidentified members of her club tennis team distributed racist Ku Klux Klan images in materials that were sent to other teams competing in a tournament the school club hosted in College Park, Maryland, last weekend.
A Google document sent by the Maryland club team in order to share information about the tournament with other teams immediately raised concerns from members of the Howard University team, a HBCU competing in the University of Maryland (UMD) 2026 Fall Invitational hosted by UMD Club Tennis.
“Upon reviewing a shared Google document emailed to the participating tennis teams, Toni Rachal, the President of the HU Tennis Club, noticed a graphic containing a recognizable symbol associated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) on the first page,” the Howard University tennis club said in a statement. “The image appeared below the UMD Club Tennis logo. KKK pointed hood masks complete with eye holes appear in the top right and lower left quadrants, replacing the Crossland coat of arms of the official Maryland state flag.
“The imagery is a recognizable symbol of white supremacy, organized hate, and violence. The inclusion of this imagery raises fundamental questions: Why was this racist imagery included in the materials, how long has this image been used in UMD documents, and what review process permitted it to remain there?”
The Maryland club tennis team has now been suspended by the school due the racist incident, and the freshman Bryant now says she does not feel safe being part of the team.
“It’s very heartbreaking. It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Bryant told WJZ. “I can’t even imagine that, because this is supposed to be a welcoming environment.”
“I’ve been practicing with these people three days a week for five weeks,” Bryant added. “Like, whoever did it definitely saw me. It’s only been a couple of us African Americans out there. So it’s like, I don’t know if they felt threatened by us or like I just don’t understand what went through their head as they sent [the Google document].”
A former member of the Maryland club tennis team Christian Dortch, who is also Black, believes the people responsible for including the racist imagery should be identified publicly.
“I was very disappointed. I wouldn’t have expected anything of that sort to happen,” Dortch said. “I was saddened to see that some on my own tennis team hold such a negative connotation about Black people.”
“We should know who said what so we can put a name to a face because it should be out in the open,” Dortch added.
The University of Maryland is now investigating, and the president of Howard University, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, praised the swift action while saying “there is no place for racism, intimidation, or imagery rooted in hatred and racial violence in collegiate athletics, on our campuses, or anywhere in our society.”
“On Saturday, UMD Recreation and Wellness (RecWell) staff learned that members of the Maryland Club Tennis student organization distributed programming material with a graphic containing racist imagery targeting people who are Black or African American,” the school said in a statement. “They emailed this information to other university tennis clubs in the region about this weekend’s fall tournament at College Park.”
“The University of Maryland is horrified and expresses its regret and sincere apology for the harm that this has caused,” the school added. “In addition to UMD club tennis apologizing and forfeiting its matches, UMD’s director of Recreation and Wellness issued an apology to the club presidents of all the participating teams. This matter has been referred to the University of Maryland Police Department and the Office of Student Conduct.”
