INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis native and University of Notre Dame student who came home during the pandemic said he had no idea the return would change his outlook on life.
Max Siegel Jr. graduated from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory High School, where he played football before attending Notre Dame.
Siegel has spent a lot of his time on the gridiron for the Fighting Irish. Now he can add fighting for justice to his resume after spending time taking part in peaceful protest while home from college.
A friend asked Siegel to help her promote a peaceful protest on Monument Circle. Siegel ended up doing more than promote it. He attended the event, which he said opened his eyes to a lot of the things he had been experiencing as a young Black man.
“It really galvanized me,” Siegel said. “Just seeing all the people downtown, and I have been going to protests ever since."
Since his first protest experience, Siegel has shared his takeaways on Twitter and in a Notre Dame publication. He boldly addresses systemic racism as a Black athlete at a predominately White university.
“The reason I felt like I had to write that is not only to let people know that they are not alone, but to also continue raising your voice,” Siegel said.
Siegel learned to raise his voice from his father, Max Siegel Sr., a well-known community leader and race car guru also on the front lines of equality. Now Max Jr. is headed back to college and the football field. He will take his protest experiences and his fight for equality with him.
“This isn't a moment, this is a movement,” he said “That is what we believe and we need to continue fight for."
This was Siegel’s first time writing about equality, but probably not his last. You can read his article here.