Concerned members of the Sun Prairie community gathered in a town hall-style discussion last night to discuss the recent removal of Chris Davis from his position as head coach of the Sun Prairie West High School boys basketball team. The conversation was moderated by Teran Peterson along with others looking to platform students’ voices especially as Davis was also put on suspension from his position as a student advocate at Sun Prairie West as well.
Davis was suspended and ultimately terminated as basketball coach after the team’s January 4 loss to Madison East. Davis exchanged words with assistant coaches from East and bumped into an East player.
“It was a situation that really wasn’t that big,” said Chris Davis Jr., the son of the coach and a player on the team, echoing sentiments throughout the gathering that the situation was not violent. “There was a kid who walked in front of him at the moment and over the whole game, I was being called out of my name. Then I got called a word … that’s the one word my dad doesn’t play about, that’s the ‘B-word.’ I think if any of y’all have kids, and they get called the ‘B-word,’ I know all of y’all would have stood up for them in that moment. That’s what my dad did as a parent, he stood up for me.”
Previous and current students from Sun Prairie West were present to discuss how both within basketball and outside of the sport, Davis would show support to students. Longtime friends of Davis, as well as others who work in academic systems around the Madison area, spoke on the importance of connections advocates like Davis build in schools as well as the difficulties of navigating these environments as Black people due to racial double standards and bias.
Many who spoke also made their position clear that punishment leveled at Davis seemed disproportionate to both the lack of consequences faced by a Madison East assistant coach who allegedly aimed disparaging and offensive language towards Davis Jr., as well as disproportionate to that of white coaches in situations of heightened emotion.
“He fought so hard to become this coach at Sun Prairie West,” said Dominique Willis, mother of Chris Davis Jr. “For them to take that from him, it also took him down a lot…That decision should be overturned. I do hope that he’s able to get back his job, not just for him, but for that team. I watched him coach the team, I watched him coach his summer team, and every team that he coached, he made it like a family to him.”
Madison alder Sabrina Madison showed her support and spoke extensively on the necessity of consistent action if those present were hopeful that efforts would result in Davis’ reinstatement. She said advocates should continuously reach out and demand answers from Sun Prairie elected representatives; none were in attendance except for Sun Prairie School Board member Alwyn Foster.
Clyde Mayberry was also in attendance after hearing about Davis’ removal from his position, and gave insight into how change takes time and constant work using efforts in Madison as an example. He also spoke to the importance of making things by your community for your community.
“I’m gonna be honest with you, this same stuff happens at Madison to this day, but real change did not start until we started to create our own stuff,” Mayberry said. “That’s something I will give to y’all. You’ll have to rally up and create your own. We had to create business hubs for Black women, we had to create performing arts centers for black kids, we had to create foundations, but we fought on the front line for years before we created our own.”
Dominique Willis returned to relay a message of thanks from Davis for support from those in attendance.
