Laila Edwards

Laila Edwards has joined a special and necessary sorority. And no, it doesn’t involve pink and green, or crimson and cream (but oo-oop to all of my sorors anyway). At just 19, she’s now a part of the “first” club.

The University of Wisconsin junior, who wears the title of “first” proudly, is holding down her place in history as the first Black woman to play for the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team. And in a sport that has historically lacked diversity, Edwards has already created a powerful legacy both on and off the ice.

The standout player led Wisconsin to a national championship while collecting the 2024 Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year award and earning recognition as a 2025 North America Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in sports.

“At first it was a little bit overwhelming making that history and all the media and things like that,” Edwards says during our video call, squeezing it in between her college classes. “But then I was like, ‘This is such a privilege.’ I’m becoming a role model for so many people and I’m being that someone that I didn’t necessarily have when I was their age.”
When Edwards competes, she carries the weight of that representation. Seeing her on the ice means a lot to young girls who never saw anyone who looked like them playing hockey.

“It’s great to see someone that looks like you at that level, but then to see someone succeed at that level is even more important,” she explains.

Her hockey journey pretty much started at home. “It was my dad,” Edwards shares. “He played, and so of course my siblings and I didn’t have much of an option. He put us in as soon as I could crawl or walk. I was skating at two or three and playing for real at five and six.”

Even though she fell in love with the game, it was hard not to notice how few players looked like her. Growing up, Edwards barely saw any Black players at local games—except for her own family. On TV, it was a rare sight to catch a Black male player, let alone a woman.

Ref https://www.essence.com/entertainment/sports/laila-edwards-transforming-hockey-for-black-women/

 Charru Whitted