Delaware State lacrosse player who broke story about bus stop/search is honored

Like most journalism students, Sydney Anderson found the best lessons came outside the classroom while actually reporting the news for the school newspaper and its website.

In her case, a story she suspected may spark interest beyond the Delaware State University campus within Delaware extended well across First State borders and spread nationally.

Anderson is the DSU lacrosse player and mass communications major who, writing for The Hornet Newspaper and thehornetonline.com, first reported the Hornets’ team bus being stopped and searched April 20 in Georgia by Liberty County Sherriff’s Office deputies.

It was a bombshell that quickly caught the attention of major media outlets because it was widely viewed as a potential case of racial profiling. Education and government leaders in Delaware and elsewhere expressed outrage, with the state attorney general asking the U.S. Department of Justice for a civil rights review.

“I didn’t really have a hesitation writing the article,” said Anderson, now a DSU junior, who quickly began interviewing teammates and gathering photos and powerful videos of deputies on and outside the bus after the stop. “I remember being on the bus, and it felt like a natural inclination to do it.”

WHAT WE KNOW:Chronicling events surrounding the DSU bus stop/search

Her instincts paid off with a story that brought national attention to the incident. Those efforts have been recognized nationally twice as 2022 comes to a close.

Anderson won over three other finalists in a USA Lacrosse Magazine Twitter poll for “Best Advocate” in college women’s lacrosse. It aimed to single out those who “raise significant awareness for causes that either get swept under the rug or are not given adequate resources.”

“It just goes to show the support of DSU and other HBCUs. That was special,” Anderson said of those whose votes propelled her to the honor.

Last month in Dallas, Anderson was presented the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s 2022 Tina Sloan Green Award. Created in 2021 by the association’s Racial Equity Task Force, the award acknowledges a player or team working to advance equity and inclusion.

Sloan Green was the first Black collegiate women’s lacrosse coach, guiding Temple from 1975-92 and winning three national championships. She was also the first Black player on the U.S. field hockey team.

“That was a real honor and treasure,” Anderson said.

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In supporting Anderson’s nomination for the Tina Sloan Green Award, Delaware State women’s lacrosse coach Pamella Jenkins had referred to her as “a trailblazer for change” and wrote that Anderson was “a mentor, led by example, and has used our experience to create awareness on a national level.”

Her story last spring helped Anderson land a summer internship at the Black Wall Street Times in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She covered local news and also wrote about topics with wider interest. Anderson, 20, now hopes to continue her journalism studies by pursuing a master’s degree, perhaps at the University of Maryland, when she graduates from Delaware State in 2024.

Anderson said the bus incident was the first time she’d ever experienced being racially profiled.

That feeling was evident in her story, which began: “Breathe, but not too heavy. Look, but do not appear guilty. Speak, but never answer back. These are the constant reminders of being Black In America.”

When the stop and search for narcotics was over, she said, DSU team members were fairly quiet “trying to process what we just went through.” The situation, she added, left everyone “astonished and appalled at the same time.”

She spent two weeks gathering information for her story, which posted May 4. While DSU officials were aware of what had happened, “they didn’t think it was that severe of an extent until the article came out,” Anderson said. "Everyone started being outraged. The photo and videos help broaden everyone’s understanding.”

The firestorm that followed, Anderson added, “was really astonishing. I still can’t process it. It feels surreal in my life and all impact the story made.”

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware state lacrosse bus search liberty county georgia anderson