55 years and counting

Daughter of Abbey protestor talks about father's history with college

Mya and Larry Bembry

Mya Bembry could've been one of the best Belmont Abbey women's basketball players in recent school history.

But she bucked that legacy and found another path to basketball greatness. That road of big-time Big East schools went from Penn State to Seton Hall and then to Georgetown this year.

The 6-foot-1 graduate forward heard the stories from her father, Larry Bembry. She knows how good her dad was on the court at the Wheeler Center.

A few years back, the graduate basketball player took a memorable trip to Belmont Abbey College, where her dad played for three years. She came to North Carolina for an AAU basketball tournament one year, and her team trekked down from New Jersey.

Though she doesn't recall the games or the final scores that weekend, she remembers Larry showing her the campus outside the Wheeler Center. One building stood out, and Larry shared his fond memories of that building, too.

The drive to succeed

Mya grew up with Larry's talent and desire to succeed. She plans to graduate in the spring of 2025 with a graduate degree in communications from Georgetown, involving integrated marketing communications. 

Three years at Seton Hall helped bridge a gap to Georgetown this year, where she stood out as a leader. The team finished with a respectable 23-12 record and faced perennial powerhouse Connecticut three times this season. The last time came in the Big East Conference championship game. Though she says international scouts have communicated with her, she's hoping to travel and look for a job.

For Mya, it started on the court back in New Jersey with Dad.

"He said if I could learn how to dribble, I could play anywhere," Mya Bembry added.

His struggles and profound impact on her got her from New Jersey to Georgetown. She said she learned not to limit herself and often reflects on his profound influence.

Experiences with Georgetown's diversity

Bembry played basketball in her final season at McDonogh Gym in a wild twist. That arena is a 10-minute walk from Gaston Hall.

No, not THAT Gaston? Did Mya Bembry know that when she skipped the D.C. school? No. 

But Gaston's name still carries weight at the school. Over the years, it's become a legendary building where dignitaries come to speak.

Gaston, a North Carolina native and Catholic, found his way to the school. Belmont Abbey College in Gaston County likely named its science building after the former student and N.C. judge to honor his efforts to protect the faith in North Carolina. 

At the same time, Gaston is not without his controversy in American history. While his legal work found its way into the early composition of the 1954 landmark Brown V. Board of Education decision, his vast slave ownership in North Carolina was infamous. The Catholic man, at one point, possessed over 140-plus people. School professors documented three generations of enslaved people in Gaston's ownership. 

Over the past five years, the Georgetown community has come to grips with its slave history.

Mya Bembry calls the movement to bring DEI to the school "relatively new" and also, "still lacking." She lived on campus for the past year.

"I know a lot of African-American students talk about it," she said.

She recognizes their efforts but believes other student groups feel the benefits of DEI more than African-American students. She believes the administration and students need to make more effort and that people should take more responsibility for inclusion.

Back to Belmont

Over the past several years, calls for recognition and reconciliation by former students and the local community have drawn attention to the college's 1969 moment. A local Gastonia filmmaker plans a YouTube series featuring the Abbey students and their fight that day.

Would any reconciliation between the students and the college help? She doesn't think so.

"I honestly don't think it would make an impact," she said. "Not many people know about it, and it's been years. But there's a group of people that would be interested in it."

She doesn't care if the school would retire her dad's jersey, though she thinks the students should recognize it. (Editor's note: Belmont Abbey history professors have included the protest in their Local History plans.)

"(My feeling is) that it goes against (Belmont Abbey's) politics," she said. "For them, it wouldn't be a positive (story)."

But in the countless stories throughout the fight for civil rights, it does hold a place. 

"To know his struggles and still raise me.." she added. "It's just a beautiful story."