The spectators at Martin Stadium hummed with excitement ahead of the rivalry-fueled matchup between Northwestern and Syracuse until the buzzer sounded to end the pregame period. Then, rather than the usual whistle to start the first quarter, a quiet calm settled over the lakeside field where a forest of lacrosse sticks reached toward the sky in silent protest.
For close to a minute seemingly every eye in the stands rested on the scene, the goal of which was to call attention to recent racist incidents targeted at the women’s lacrosse teams of two historically Black universities.
The demonstration before the NCAA Quarterfinal matchup in Evanston was one of several that took place before the tournament’s other contests to raise awareness about prejudice and a lack of diversity in the sport.