Thread by @AAPolicyForum

"Engendering the Politics of the Black Athlete."

Follow along for quotes, commentary and resources ⬇️ #HerDreamDeferred

.@sandylocks begins by remembering Black women athletes "who we may never see pictured with their fists held high on the Olympic podiums, but who nevertheless risked death threats, bodily harm, & loss of income by choosing to speak out against the challenges facing Black people."

.@Layshiac plays for the @nyliberty, is a member of the WNBA’s Social Justice Council, and was the first VP of the Players Association. They have been a leading advocate for LGBTQ+ athletes, and led initiatives to support the #SayHerName Campaign. #HerDreamDeferred

Sydney Colson (@SydJColson) is a WNBA veteran and a member of the Social Justice Council. She helped lead the WNBA players' efforts to support the #SayHerName Campaign in 2020. #HerDreamDeferred

Read @SydJColson’s essay on the WNBA players dedicating their season to #SayHerName in this special zine from Chime for Change: chime.gucci.com/zine/say-her-n… #HerDreamDeferred

.@demario_davis) is a star linebacker for the @Saints and a member of the @playercoalition, a group of athletes working to end social injustices and racial inequality. Davis received the Bart Starr Award and has partnered with AAPF’s #SayHerName Campaign. #HerDreamDeferred

Last season, @demario_davis and teammates partnered with AAPF to uplift the #SayHerName Campaign and support Black women. Watch:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1304496388693061632

Dr. Harry Edwards organized the Olympic Project for Human Rights in 1967, founded the sociology of sport as a discipline, & is a leading authority on race & sport. His work with sports leagues has been instrumental in crafting diversity policies. #HerDreamDeferred

"That’s the future of [athlete] activism. If we can get all athletes and leagues and unions to start realizing their collective power, people better watch out," says @Layshiac. #HerDreamDeferred

Octavius Catto was an African American civil rights leader, baseball player, and major in the Pennsylvania National Guard. He was assassinated on October 10, 1871 by opponents of Reconstruction for his work to extend the franchise to Black Americans in Philadelphia.

Dr. Harry Edwards acknowledging the accomplishments of the new generation of athlete activists

https://twitter.com/IMKC_podcast/status/1377056947241893888?s=20

During the 1959 Pan American Games, high jumper Eroseanna “Rose” Robinson refused to stand for the national anthem. Robinson was also active with a local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and led anti-segregation actions. #HerDreamDeferred

Wyomia Tyus wore black shorts during the 1968 Olympic Games to support the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Yet her silent protest is not remembered. Why?

"Because I was a woman,” she once answered. “Who cared?"

#HerDreamDeferred

"I know people are serious when they do things that can affect their money. When you are willing to take a hit from sponsors, that shows that you’re committed on some level."

Truth from @SydJColson on athletes taking political stands. #HerDreamDeferred

WNBA players @Layshiac and @SydJColson remembering the collective decision to dedicate their season to #SayHerName

https://twitter.com/IMKC_podcast/status/1377060397832929283?s=20

"We only hear about their deaths," says @Layshiac, of victims of police violence. But through working with the #SayHerName Mothers Network, "we got to hear the mothers celebrate their daughters."

#HerDreamDeferred

“I applaud the WNBA players... because they’re fighting for social justice in the midst of fighting for something like equal pay! That’s what they’re up against," says @demario__davis. #HerDreamDeferred

"In a way, what athletes have said this past year is, 'we’re not disembodied from how our bodies are read and disciplined in the world. We inherit the legacy of Black athletes and their role in society, and we can’t will ourselves out of the way.'" - @sandylocks #HerDreamDeferred

Supporting women in sports is social justice.

#BetOnWomen @TheWNBPA