Kyle Hartzell and Pat Young are teammates for the Premier Lacrosse League’s Atlas LC. Hartzel, from Dundalk, Md., and Young, from Ewing, N.J., by way of Virginia, might be at the top of lacrosse world, but their journeys have been completely different.

Young, an African American who played at UMBC and Maryland, has seen racism on the lacrosse field. He’s felt the fear described by many about being an African American in America. Hartzell, who is white, knows he hasn’t had the same experiences as his teammate, and he hesitated to speak up on issues of race growing up.

Now, they’re both making their voices heard in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. Young and Hartzell spoke with US Lacrosse Magazine about their feelings on race in lacrosse and what we can do to make this game more inclusive.

To kick off the conversation, Young shared a recent moment when he rode his bike on a trail near his home in Maryland. He got a flat tire and had to walk his bike back home. He was afraid of what those he passed might think of what he was doing — the perception might have been negative.

“I was scared for my life,” he said. “It could escalate into something it’s not, and that’s my reality. I ran all the way home, and when I got home, I cried to my mom because it’s hitting me because it’s really starting to sink in.”

“As a white man, I don’t have to worry about that,” Hartzell said. “It just sucks that Pat has to go through that.”

The tone shifted from anger and sadness stemming from our current situation, to the future and what this community can to be more inclusive. Young encouraged fellow lacrosse players to speak up when they see acts of racism or discrimination.

“If you’re around a bunch of white people and something goes down, be the one to step up even if no one is around,” he said. “Who you are is what you do when no one is around.”

Hartzell admitted that he hadn’t done enough to stop racism when he was growing up in the suburbs of Baltimore. However, he’s opened his eyes on racial injustice and has become an ally for his black teammates and friends.

“I’ve seen [racism] and I’ve heard it and I didn’t speak up about it,” he said. “Now, it’s taken me so long to do it. If I knew what I know now and could go back to high school and middle school and could speak up, I would. I’m trying to make good on it now. I’m going to continue to do this as long as I live.”