Alex Crognale, a former teammate at the University of Maryland and Columbus Crew SC, understood his privilege and his life’s journey. However, as he began talking with teammates of different races and learning how vastly different their paths and journeys were, Crognale become more involved in helping bring a voice to those who may be lost in the shuffle.
“Growing up, I had everything I needed as a kid,” Crognale said. “My parents took care of me and I’m a white male growing up in America. For me things are easy, right? As I grew older and saw the racism and racial inequality going on and I’d talk with my teammates and friends, and as teammates we’d leave the locker room and go live separate lives. My teammates, especially Zack (Steffen) would tell me about the things they go through in their everyday lives. I was vastly different than anything I’d experienced.”
“We experience two different things in the same country. That idea just really rubbed me the wrong way. I almost felt guilty because I didn’t know how I could get involved in this movement. I’m glad Zack came to me after the George Floyd killing and we just talked about what the hell is going on and why does this keep happening in this country? It ultimately led us to think about what we can do about it, and that’s where this idea of VOYCENOW came to be.”
VOYCENOW focuses on raising funds to support the next generation of kids. They recognize that the youth of today will become the leaders of tomorrow. The organization strives for giving them a more level playing field and equal opportunities regardless of race.
As of this moment, VOYCENOW is partnering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. Office sites have been set up for kids who are having trouble keeping up in socially distant learning settings due to the lack of resources, funds and capable equipment.
“We want to help our kids be educated on what’s going on in the world,” Steffen said. “The biggest thing for us is we want to establish relationships with these kids and their families in the cities where we’re located.”
“We know we can’t reach every kid, but our goal is to help as many kids as possible.”
MAKING A STATEMENT
With the global health pandemic putting a halt to international soccer for much of 2020, it was impossible for USMNT players to physically come together most of last year. In that time, Steffen and his teammates stayed connected through a giant WhatsApp messaging group. Things evolved in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, with the team having longer, more pointed talks via videoconference about racial inequality in the United States and what they could do about it as a group.
“We talked about what the culture of our team is, and that’s diversity all across the board --respecting each other and being professional,” Steffen said. “What can we do? It was tough due to COVID and being apart, but we were having those conversations and we continue to have those conversations.”
In November, the USMNT was finally able to hold a training camp, gathering for friendlies in Wales and Austria. As one of the first National Teams in any sport to represent the United States since the events of the summer, Steffen and his teammates viewed the matches as an opportunity to send a bold statement and show an example of unity within the diverse group that makes up the USMNT.
The team united on the message of “Be The Change”, which was printed on the front of the jackets they wore for the playing of the national anthem prior to the games against Wales and Panama.
