by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
A student-athlete at a State University of New York has made a difference on the campus. Through his involvement on the lacrosse team, he became a leader and advocate for his people. As a reserve player on the team he didn’t see a lot of playing time. The road from being the equipment manager at his high school to being a reserve player at his university had a higher motive and ideal for him.
Braeden Sonny White is Kanien’kehá:ka from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. He is a member of the Bear Clan. His Kanien’kehá:ka name is Ra’ennakehte. His mother’s name is Desiree White. Most people call him Sonny.
“I attend SUNY Canton as a Legal Studies major and compete for the SUNY Canton lacrosse team in Upstate NY,” said Brayden. “My accomplishments weren’t always the kind of stats that would normally show up on the score sheet.”
Sonny White is a 5-10, 175 pound senior attack player for the NCAA DIII SUNY Canton Roos lacrosse team. He scored three goals and assists in 2019 and 4 goals and 1 assists in 2018. He didn’t play in this spring’s pandemic-shortened four-game season.
“Off the field, I was a respected student on campus,” said Sonny. “In 2018, I was the recipient of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Specialty Award. This is an award to ‘An individual whose actions have positively and forever impacted and inspired the office of student affairs’. I was also the recipient of the 2018 Phoenix Award, which is ‘given in recognition of those students who have either transformed themselves or persisted through some difficult odds to succeed as students at SUNY Canton.’”
“I served as the Student Government Association President and Budget Director,” said Sonny. “The Student Government Association is the governing body on campus that works alongside the University Administration in bringing student issues to the table and formulating solutions. I also had the privilege of serving on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee as a Diversity Officer. Through my work with Athletics, I was able to promote diversity and inclusion on various Athletic Department publications.”
“Throughout my years at SUNY Canton, I have been able to formulate and bring many changes to fruition,” said Sonny. “I was able to get the Iroquois Flag hung across campus and of an equal size and level as the American and Canadian flags. I believe this to be important to remember the historical presence of the Iroquois in Canton, NY and across the state overall. In addition to this, it is important for the flag to be of equal size and level to show that that Iroquois are not in a ‘father-son’ relationship with the other Nations but rather in a ‘brotherly’ relationship instead. It shows that the Iroquois are of equal power and prominence as the United States of America and Canada.”
“In addition to that, I have been able to work alongside Coach Harrington in implementing the playing of the Iroquois Anthem in 2018 at all our men’s lacrosse games. In doing so, we became to my knowledge the first NCAA University to do so consistently. This along with many other efforts helped reconnect the SUNY Canton men’s lacrosse team back to the roots of the game. Although the coronavirus pandemic cut our 2020 campaign short, I can take pride in remembering the last time I walked on that field for a game, I was leading my team onto the field to the Standing Quiver Dance alongside another Akwesasronon, Tyren Boots, who plays for Marian University,” added Sonny.
“Sonny loves the game of lacrosse and he does a very good job of raising awareness for Native Americans at the college,” said Coach Pat Harrington, SUNY Canton Roos Lacrosse. “His goal in life in to push the Native American agenda forward and to help gain equality for Native Americans. He does a great job here locally in Akwesasne, nationally and international for all Natives. I have the upmost respect and admire all the hard work he does for Native Americans.”
“In terms of my core tribal values, I first must acknowledge the leaders who came before me and gained the knowledge that they could then pass onto myself,” said Sonny.
“One of the first core values that I was taught early on in my lacrosse career was to reinvest in the youth,” said Sonny. “I come from a low-income family and was unable to play sports growing up because of financial constraints. However, when I did reach a certain age, I began looking for ways to get equipment so that I could play.”
“One of the first people I spoke to was Garrett Cree, another Akwesasronon,” said Sonny. “He invested money in me and in making sure I was able to afford to get a lacrosse helmet. That gesture has never been forgotten. Throughout my years of playing, I wanted to be like Garrett and reinvest in the youth following behind myself. So, I began coaching youth lacrosse and did so for a number of years. Being able to gain the knowledge to then give back to the youth and my community was one of the most rewarding achievements that occurred in my lacrosse career.”
“Sonny is a family friend,” said Garrett Cree, Salmon River HS Assistant Coach. “He has been a great addition to the lacrosse community in Akwesasne. He is committed to the game and enjoys lacrosse. Sonny has displayed dedication and is very well liked by all.”
“Another Akwesasronon who helped develop me into the player I am today is Richard Mitchell,” said Sonny. “I had the pleasure of working alongside Richard for a number of years planting crops and learning the language. One of the biggest lessons he taught me throughout the years was to never abuse the gifts that you are given and to always be thankful. In addition to this, he taught me to always play the game with respect both for yourself as well as your opponent.”
“As a result of these two Akwesasronon, I have become a more appreciative and determined athlete. I play for those who have come before me to make these opportunities possible but also for those who will come after me. I play for those who are too sick to continue playing the game as well as those who are no longer with us. This is more than just a game, it’s a medicine and it has taught me many lessons and healed me through many tough times,” added Sonny.
“The first person who influenced me as a competitive athlete is my mother,” said Sonny. “My mother was there every step of the way of my development and consistently supported me throughout the hard times. This consistent support pushed me to be the best athlete that I could be and to show her that all those nights of me being in the local lacrosse boxes until the lights shut off or me playing wall ball off the side of the house or the car rides in every direction to get me the guidance I needed to succeed would all pay off.”
“Brayden is very proud of his culture and who he is,” said mom Desiree White. “Anything that Brayden is involved with he gives his 100%. Brayden has made many accomplishments in his short life. He even met and shook hands with President Obama. He’s met so many important people and is remembered by these acquaintances. He’s been a member of many youth organizations and traveled to so many different reservations and other states.”
“In addition to my mother, my cousins and family held a significant role in my development,” said Sonny. “My cousins Jeremy, Hiana, Miles, Lyle, Ty and Thomas Thompson all played roles in different capacities in making me the competitive athlete I am today. With Jeremy, Hiana, Miles and Lyle, they taught me to use lacrosse as a vehicle to achieve greater and better opportunities than the ones that I was being presented. I had the opportunity to watch them play in high school as well as collegiately and see what it took to reach those levels. With Ty and Thomas, I had a closer relationship as we grew up together as far back as I can remember. They’d call me over to play some backyard lacrosse and with each backyard game, it added more skills to my tool belt. The constant presence of having a stick in my hands and playing lacrosse assisted me tremendously throughout the years.”
Sonny White was the equipment manager for the lacrosse team in high school. He didn’t play lacrosse but this experience motivated him to try out for his college team. “Another person who positively influenced me was my HS Coach, Jim Barnes. “He brought me onto the team to assist me in better understanding the game and to be able to learn by watching alongside some of the best players. It became an obsession of never hitting a plateau and remaining there, the climb should never stop.”
“I maintain my physical health by going to the local or university gym on a daily basis,” said Sonny. “This routine has become a staple of my daily life and if I am unable to go to the gym, I do home workouts until I am able to. I am constantly researching what the elite athletes are doing to see what’s working and what isn’t. The goal is not to reinvent the wheel but rather improve the wheel. When the opportunity presents itself, I enjoy splitting wood as a means to exercising and assisting those in my community.”
“I believe that taking care of the mental spectrum of wellness is crucial,” said Sonny. “In doing so, I give thanks each and every day for everything that I have and that is given to me. I believe that it’s the beliefs of being thankful for what I do have rather than what I don’t that keeps me appreciative in my ways. I am thankful for having a healthy family, food on the table and a roof over our head.”
“With this ideology of being thankful, I am able to be a better athlete in understanding that I am only able to control myself and my reactions to a situation. In doing so, I am able to hold myself accountable and be a better teammate. I am able to be thankful that I have the opportunity to play this game and give it the full appreciation and respect it deserves. I believe that if you fully invest in lacrosse, the yields will come back tenfold,” added Sonny.
“I connect my spirituality with lacrosse is the fact that it has been engrained in me since birth,” said Sonny. “This is more than a game, it’s a medicine and with that, it must be treated with absolute respect. So, when I play the lacrosse, I always play with the utmost appreciation and respect for those who came before me, those who’ll come after me, those who are sick and those who are no longer with us. With playing at SUNY Canton, I was able to work alongside Coach Harrington and work towards having the Iroquois Anthem played with the US Anthem. Being able to take the field at each home game and hear the Iroquois Anthem being played has kept me connected to my roots and my community despite being away from Akwesasne.”
“In terms of mental toughness, I believe as an indigenous person, we gain a level of resilience and thick skin from our ancestors,” said Sonny. “As I said previously, playing lacrosse with a sense of respect, not just for yourself but also for your opponent is of the utmost importance. In doing so, you are not allowing that negativity to influence you and stop you from progressing forward. I remember that I am not playing this game for myself but for things greater than myself and in doing so, I must be respectful.”
“I am staying well during this pandemic is through the use of staying active and playing lacrosse,” said Sonny. “I have been exercising independently since the gyms are closed and utilizing new workouts to achieve the same results. In doing so, I am taking care of my physical and mental healthy by using exercising as a vehicle to keep me away from the talk around the coronavirus pandemic.”
“I have also been learning more about our traditional medicines and investing more time toward gaining the knowledge of our traditional ways, so that I can in turn, pass it down to the next generation. In doing so, I am taking care of my emotional and spiritual wellness in addition to my cultural wellness. I find that taking care of all spectrums that encompass is crucial to success and productive each and every day,” added Sonny.
“I have my own story of resiliency and rising to where I am today,” said Sonny. “I come from a low-income family, so I didn’t have the access to athletic opportunities that others my age were granted. I grew up on the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory that resides on both sides of the United States and Canadian border.”
“Growing up, I spent a good portion of my life also with my great grandparents when my mother was working. As a result of this, I was afforded the opportunity to hear their stories growing up and gain the knowledge that they learned throughout their lives. For my great grandfather, he was an amazing man and father figure that I could model myself after. He would tell me about his days growing up and working for the local farmers during haying season for 7¢ a week. I would marvel at these stories considering how labored throwing hay bales is and for 7¢ a week. His moral of the story was ‘if you worked hard, you were 7¢ richer on payday than you were at the beginning of the week’. This level of work ethic and drive inspired me to be the best that I could be and even if the payoff was small, it was still moving the needle in the right direction,” added Sonny.
“As I grew up I seen the effects of drugs and alcohol were having on our youth,” said Sonny. “I knew that although I couldn’t police them, I could inspire them to live a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle. Through my experiences, I have gained opportunities to be an ambassador for my community, region and Nation. In 2015, I had the opportunity to be a White House Tribal Nations Conference Youth Panelist and ask the President of the United States, Barack Obama, questions regarding higher educational opportunities and the destigmatization around mental health.”
“I found the discussion around mental health to be important as it is noted in a 2015 CDC Report that among Native Americans/Alaskan Natives, aged 10 to 34, suicide is the second leading cause of death. In addition to this, suicide is the eight-leading cause of deaths among Native American/Alaskan Natives overall. If you look in that age bracket, at 10 years old, youth are at a vulnerable age as they are coming into themselves and who they are. As a result of this, many may have difficulties that put stress upon their mental health and by de-stigmatizing the discussion around mental health, these youth can have an easier time seeking help,” added Sonny.
“The discussion around suicide and mental health is personal to myself as I lost a friend to suicide in 2012,” said Sonny. “It made be reevaluate my own understanding of both mental health and what someone who was in crisis may look like. Upon losing my friend, I realized that there isn’t a mold to see someone who is in crisis. My friend had a prestigious lacrosse career and was taking the next step to pursue a degree at an Ivy League institution. As a result of this loss, I dedicated myself to working to get trained to be a facilitator to run safeTALK trainings to train people in better acknowledging the ‘invitations’ of someone who may be crisis and how to assist them in getting help. I have also worn the #12 in his memory throughout my Jr. ‘B’ and university lacrosse career.”
Photo Credit: Nathaniel Hart/SUNY Canton Athletics
