Gwen Berry: Had a Child at 15 and Now Fights for His Safety on The Olympic Stage

By: Greta Stuckey

Gwen Berry Protests at 2020 Olympic Trials During National Anthem

Born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri, Gwen Berry’s life was forever changed when she was in her early years of high school. She became pregnant and gave birth to her son three weeks after her 15th birthday.

After having a child, Berry continued attending high school and competing on her track and field team in throwing and jumping events. During her high school years, set triple jump records at McCluer High School as a sophomore, junior and senior. When Southern Illinois offered her a track and field scholarship, she took it.

While attending college and competing in track and field, Berry’s son Derrick lived with his paternal grandfather as both his father and Gwen went to college. Berry saw her son when she had enough time to visit home, but it wasn’t easy since Southern Illinois was a two-hour drive away.

“When you're younger, you're kind of living for yourself, right?" she said to MEAWW Media. “But when you have a kid, you've got to up your game to a whole other level because you're not living for yourself anymore. You have to make better decisions.”

After graduation, Berry continued competing with a focus on weight throw in the indoor season and hammer throw in the outdoor season. Berry placed second in the hammer throw at the 2016 Olympic Trials and represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She also returned for the 2020 Olympic trials and took third place in the hammer throw. She qualified for the finals in Tokyo and finished in 11th.

“I'm just here to represent,” she told CNN in Tokyo. “I know a lot of people like me, a lot of athletes like me, a lot of people are scared to succeed or speak out. As long as I can represent those people, I'm fine.”

Since she started competing in large events, Berry has been outspoken on issues of social justice and feels inclined to speak out since she has a black son who is 15 years old. After qualifying for her second Games in June, Berry turned away from the flag while the national anthem played during the medal ceremony and draped a T-shirt reading the words “activist athlete” over her head.

An event that made her more aware and outspoken on social justice issues was the 2014 death of Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old Black man. Brown was fatally shot by 28-year-old White Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, which had a profound effect on Berry.

“It definitely woke me up," she told MEAWW Media. “I just had to look at myself and say, 'This could be my child. This could be my brother. This could be my uncle.’”

Berry is continuing to use Olympic sports and international competitions as a platform for racial injustice and hopes to make the world a safer place for her son. In Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games, Berry was introduced into the stadium and raised a clenched fist, later explaining she was protesting social and racial injustice.

"It’s really important for me and my community just to be able to represent,” Berry said to MEAWW Media. “My purpose, voice and mission are bigger than the sport. So me being able to represent my communities and my people and those who have died at the hands of police brutality, those who have died to this systemic racism, I feel like that’s the important part.”

As a mother, athlete and activist, Berry hopes to call attention to issues larger than sports that impact people’s lives. As a black woman with a black son, Berry uses her voice for change and doesn’t care what sponsors she loses or how long she gets banned from the International Olympic Track Committee. What Berry cares about is her son and other people of color who are at a higher risk of police brutality and violence simply for the color of their skin.