Meet Laila Edwards: The first Black woman to play for Team USA’s Winter Olympic ice hockey team

In a sport that had been invented by people of color, hockey has largely been associated with folks of the lightest hue.

For little girls and women to participate, it’s just as odd and rare because women usually don’t pick such an activity. Enter Laila Edwards. Shecis preparing to take to the ice as the first black female to represent Team USA.

In practices that started at 5am when she started as just a child to her Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, she has championed not DEI but representation.

Through her many trials and travails, she has become a stalwart on the ice and a consummate player despite not looking like the other players.

She never let the hate get to her. She just excelled at her craft and made her athleticism the key to her success.

When she played on an all female team, the other players left her outside of the conversation when they spoke about simple things such as cosmetics.

Though she has struggled socially, her awesomeness on the ice is what makes her the favorite for all Americans, especially young brown skinned girls around the globe.

If she performs well during the Olympics, that will certify her not her skin color or gender orientation.

She has been able to achieve so much in a short amount of time. Still, she has the ability to make her dreams realistic if she can just bring out the best in her teammates and herself.

That’s the whole point. It is not just to send a black woman who can step up to the glare and the chill of the ice. Her representation is the only thing that counts because that cuts through the nonsense.

When people say, “Oh, she’s only there for DEI” she won’t even have to use words. Her actions will tell the tale of a little girl who got up early in the morning and her proud parents who saw a gleam in her eye.

That gleam has been turned into a chance for her to shine under the Italian lights in the coming weeks. If she demonstrates her ability and endeavors for greatness, she should have nothing to worry about.

The only three letters she should be concerned with are NIL. American Fortune 500 companies should be willing to snap up Laila and use her face as their brand spokeswoman and leave her with at least seven figures.

This all hinges on the idea that she actually does the work she has honed for decades. Never mind all the racist talk and the pettiness that might fill her ears or might show up in her face. She should just flick this nonsense away like a flea.

The athleticism of Laila should be the sole reason to talk about her. That should be the conversation not the idea that she is the first, even if it is history.

The strength of character found in this young woman is what should be the prime concern. All she should have to do is go out on that ice and give it her all mentally and physically. The former, of course, is the supreme component between the two of them.

Laila ought to view this as an opportunity to not “represent her race” or the fact she’s a woman but just to be the absolute greatest force out there.

To regard her prowess on the ice should be a treasure to experience. No matter if you’re in the arena or the millions of people watching around the world, the thought should be placed on Laila’s superb skills. Nothing else.