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In an endless pursuit of equality and equity, Coaches 4 Change was founded by college coaches from across the United States to provide a platform that engages, educates, empowers, and evolves the young voter on yesterday’s and today’s issues of social injustice, systemic racism, and the power of voting.
Did you know?
That 3 out of 4 neighborhoods that were “redlined” 80 years ago, continue to struggle to this day, despite redlining having been banned?
That in 2019, there were 1,098 people killed by the police? And that Black people made up 24% of those killed, even though Black individuals only make up around 13% of the American population?
That low-income women are evicted at a much higher rate than low-income men? And that low-income Black men and women are evicted at a higher rate than low-income White men and women?
Throughout the past 150 years, more than 30 executive orders have been issued in an attempt to put an end to overt acts of discrimination.
Yet little has changed.
The solution for today’s injustice won’t be simple. There is no panacea to the complex problem that is racism in America.
Rooted in all the things Americans sweep to the side, this problem will likely take many years and many presidents to abolish.
But the change starts with you. The solution starts with you.
Now is not too soon.
the privilege barrier
NO
The privilege barrier subconsciously prevents non-BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) from being actively anti-racist.
Change starts with education. Without educating ourselves on the history of injustice in America, and today’s problems that were born from those injustices, how do we know what needs to be changed? How do we break down the privilege barrier?
Click to
Break
The power of education.
What types of racism do you need more help understanding?
Systemic
Systematic
What is
Redlining?
Redlining?
What is
Tone Policing?
Tone Policing?
White
Superiority
Superiority
White Exceptionalism
Systemic
denotes the existence of an idea, issue, or practice throughout an entire system.
Example
Systemic racism exists in America today as a result of the broken and loop-holed laws that inadvertently take opportunities away from BIPOC through the establishment of wealth, healthcare, public school funding, generational poverty, and more.
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Systematic
denotes a multi-step, planned, and methodical implementation of a system.
Example
Slavery, at first, was a form of systematic racism in America through the planned efforts that went into moving, buying, and forcing particular work upon those enslaved.
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Redlining
is a systematic form of racism, where mortgage lenders and government agencies deny a number of services to a client, based on the red lines that they drew around particular neighborhoods and communities on a map. Redlining on a racial basis, according to the Fair Housing Act, is held as an illegal act. However, the same communities that were redlined 80 years ago continue to experience constant economic struggles. These are predominantly Black communities.
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Tone Policing
Tone policing is a personal attack against someone about the way they are expressing emotion. It is most commonly used against BIPOC when voicing their anger about their experiences with racism.
Example
“If you weren’t so angry, more people would listen to you.”
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White Superiority
is the belief that a person, idea, or social construct is more intelligent, trustworthy, beautiful, worthwhile, valuable, or capable because they are White or are affiliated with/created by a White person.
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White Exceptionalism
is the idea that a White or white-passing individual does not inherently benefit from the systemic racism that still exists in America, therefore preventing them from being actively anti-racist. White exceptionalism is most commonly a direct result of thinking that because you’re educated on the intricacies of racism, are an active ally, and are “woke,” that you don’t benefit, as a White person, from the America you live in.
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In 2018, the Baltimore County Democratic Primary was decided by only 17 votes.
In 2016, a Vermont Senate Democratic primary was determined by just a single vote.
In 2016, A New Mexico House seat was decided by only two votes.
In 2016, A Wyoming House GOP primary was decided by just one vote.
In 2016, a Vermont Senate Democratic primary was determined by just a single vote.
In 2016, A New Mexico House seat was decided by only two votes.
In 2016, A Wyoming House GOP primary was decided by just one vote.
Every state has a certain number of ‘electors’, the number of electors depending on numbers of representatives in Congress. The Electoral College is composed of all 50 states’ electors, who are given the responsibility to cast one vote for the President and Vice President of the United States. The candidate that receives more than half of the electoral votes across all states will win the election. While it’s hard to see how your vote can determine a presidency, it’s important to keep in mind that your votes (and the votes of the people in your communities) indirectly influence the result through telling your state’s electors how to vote.
Even if your vote doesn’t determine who the next president can be, your vote can directly define the outcome of local and state office elections. Change starts local. Vote!
Even if your vote doesn’t determine who the next president can be, your vote can directly define the outcome of local and state office elections. Change starts local. Vote!
Don’t give up! Start thinking ahead of time, and realize that the election isn’t over until it’s really over. Chances are, you have time to influence a candidate on issues that you care and are passionate about. This is especially true for your local officials, who have the power to influence presidential candidates. Lastly, remember to fight for what you care about EVERY day -- not just on election day. The future of our society and government is shaped, little by little, every single day (not just every four years).
The process of registering to vote can vary depending on what state you live in, but one thing remains the same across all 50 states - it’s not hard. Learn how to register to vote in your state using our tools.
🗳 Let's figure this outChange requires our laws to evolve.
Change requires our minds to evolve.
Change requires our minds to evolve.
To evolve means to change, to grow, and to progress. In order to see the changes, growth, and progression that we want to see, we must perform our civic duty in voting to elect officials into our communities that stand for the same ideas and values that we do. Unfortunately, only 61.4% of eligible voters actually voted in the 2016 presidential election.
📚
Remember?
When some of the world’s most beloved athletes used their spotlight for activism? When they chose ceremonial moments, meant to honor their own accomplishments, to take a stand against social injustice? When, despite the magnitude of backlash and criticism, they continued to empower citizens across the nation to think and talk about the inequalities within their own communities?
empower
empower
A
t
h
l
e
t
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s
Have been some of the most influential activists of our time.
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens was a Black American track and field athlete, and four-time Olympic gold medalist in the 100m dash, long jump, 200m dash, and 4x100m relay.
Jesse Owens participated in the 1936 Olympic games, which were held in Berlin at the height of Nazi Germany. Many athletes refused to participate in the Olympic games that year, in protest of Hitler’s Aryan agenda. Owens, however, chose to compete (knowing that he would win) to disprove Hitler’s theory of a “master race,” and consequently infuriating the Nazi party. When awarded his gold medals, standing on the highest spot of the podium, Owens put his right hand to his forehead in a salute, choosing to act apart from his counterpart medalists, who gestured the Nazi salute.
Jesse Owens participated in the 1936 Olympic games, which were held in Berlin at the height of Nazi Germany. Many athletes refused to participate in the Olympic games that year, in protest of Hitler’s Aryan agenda. Owens, however, chose to compete (knowing that he would win) to disprove Hitler’s theory of a “master race,” and consequently infuriating the Nazi party. When awarded his gold medals, standing on the highest spot of the podium, Owens put his right hand to his forehead in a salute, choosing to act apart from his counterpart medalists, who gestured the Nazi salute.
1936
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was a Black American baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. In 1945, Robinson played a single season in the Negro Baseball League (when baseball was still segregated) before being recruited by the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson received a devastating amount of criticism from baseball fans across the country, made evident through the constant verbal and physical abuse that was hurled at him, both on and off the field. This didn’t stop Robinson from being vocal about race relations in American baseball, or from becoming National League Rookie of the Year.
1947
Alice Marble
Alice Marble (pictured left) was an American tennis player, and four-time national champion. By 1950, there had never been an African American to compete in the US Open, despite the numerous Black athletes qualified to compete. While the world waited to see if the United States Lawn Tennis Association would extend a US Open invitation to Althea Gibson (pictured right), a well-known and exceptional African American tennis player, Alice Marble decided to use her platform to voice her thoughts on the decision. In a letter to the USTA, Marble wrote:
“Miss Gibson is over a very cunningly wrought barrel. … She is not being judged by the yardstick of ability, but by the fact that her pigmentation is somewhat different. She is a fellow tennis player, and, as such, is deserving of the chance to prove herself.”
Marble’s letter opened many doors to Gibson, who later became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title.
“Miss Gibson is over a very cunningly wrought barrel. … She is not being judged by the yardstick of ability, but by the fact that her pigmentation is somewhat different. She is a fellow tennis player, and, as such, is deserving of the chance to prove herself.”
Marble’s letter opened many doors to Gibson, who later became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title.
1950
Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving, and more
After Eric Garner, an African American man that died after a chokehold was applied by a police officer, muttered his last words, “I can’t breathe,” NBA players from teams spanning across the country partook in a peaceful protest by wearing warm-up and bench shirts with the words “I can’t breathe” on them. This display of activism came with quarrels and criticism from many fans, but in doing so, steered society’s conversation toward the exact idea they were standing up against: the racism and injustice that our nation was founded on.
2014
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick is an African American quarterback who played for the San Francisco 49ers.
Kaepernick is most recently known for refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem, and instead taking a knee, in protest of the police brutality and social injustice against African Americans everyday. Kaepernick stated, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … To me this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”
NFL players across the country followed suit in taking a knee for the national anthem, despite the outrage that resulted from their protest. The 49ers eventually told Kaepernick that they planned to release him, and Kaepernick opted out of his contract in March of 2017.
Kaepernick is most recently known for refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem, and instead taking a knee, in protest of the police brutality and social injustice against African Americans everyday. Kaepernick stated, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … To me this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”
NFL players across the country followed suit in taking a knee for the national anthem, despite the outrage that resulted from their protest. The 49ers eventually told Kaepernick that they planned to release him, and Kaepernick opted out of his contract in March of 2017.
2016
RACISM
is still real
RACIAL
PROFILING
PROFILING
is still real
POLICE
BRUTALITY
BRUTALITY
is still real
UNJUST
INCARCERATION
INCARCERATION
is still real
Are you ready to engage in these conversations?
The most recent examples of racial inequality are only the tip of the iceberg that is social injustice in America. In order to move forward, we must gear our conversations towards the injustices of today, and engage in the movements that are born from them.
Trayvon Martin was an unarmed, 17-year-old African American boy who was fatally shot by a community watch member with suspicions that Martin was carrying a weapon in his pocket. What was assumed to be a weapon was a bag of Skittles.
Trayvon Martin
Tamir Rice was an unarmed, 12-year-old African American boy who was fatally and immediately shot by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio, because he was carrying a toy Airsoft gun.
Tamir Rice
Ahmaud Arbery was an unarmed, 25-year-old African American who was fatally shot by two white residents of the Georgia neighborhood that Arbery was jogging through in broad daylight.
Ahmaud Arbery
Breonna Taylor was an unarmed, 26-year-old African American who was fatally shot by the Louisville Metro Police Department in her own apartment. Taylor was an award-winning EMT.
Breonna Taylor
George Floyd was an unarmed, 46-year-old African American man, who died at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department (after being accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill) by neck compression and cardiopulmonary arrest.
George Floyd
One team. One voice. One mission.
We are a group of college basketball coaches committed engaging, educating, empowering, and evolving the young voter on yesterday’s and today’s issues of social injustice, systemic racism, and the power of voting.
