Transcripts For CSPAN The Atlantic Discussion On Athletes Activism 20240714

Hello, hello, and welcome to the atlantics first summit on athletes and activism. Im margaret lowe, part of the team that brings journalism to stages across the country. We are so happy to be here in washington with all of you at this brandnew arena, where the mystics will tip off against the atlantic dream this saturday night, the first mystics game ever in this arena. [applause] we are thinking of ourselves today as the happy little warmup act for that. And what a wonderful crowd here today. Thank you, all, for joining us. We are exploring the power of athletes who spotlight injustice and spur change. We will hear from olympians, collegiate allamericans, and people who cover sports. And listen to this, our speaker roster has one world cup soccer championship, eight hockey World Championships, nine olympic medals, and one nfl trophy. So we think we have a pretty winning lineup today. Guiding the conversations on stage today is my winning colleague, Atlantic Staff writer jemele hill. She spent more than a decade at espn for joining the atlantic. As you probably know, jemele writes about the intersection of sports, race, politics and culture. We have told you about who will be on stage, now we want to learn more about all of you. We will take a quick poll, and answering the question requires a cell phone. I suspect most of you have one. If youll will indulge me for a moment. Take out your cell phone. Open up a browser. And then type in slido. Com. That is slidodotcom. Slidodotcom. Everybody got that . Good. Ok. Now, next, type in atlantic athletes, all one word. Now on your screen you should see two options at the top, questions on the left and polls on the right. We are going to use both features today, but we will start with polls. I want you to tap on polls. I want us to answer the first question together. This technology is pretty cool. We will tally the answers live on the screens on other side of the stage, and you and the millions of people watching on the live stream can play along. The first question is this. How would you describe yourself . Are you an athlete, activist, student, community leader, or a fan . I confess that this is not super scientific, so you are welcome to select more than one answer. So go ahead. I think if we kept watching, it would keep changing. We have a lot of athletes, activists, community leaders, fans, students, and that we have a good sense of who is along the ride with us today. Thank you. I want you to get some practice because we will use this technology throughout the afternoon for questions and answers, and we want you to be part of the conversation today. Where going to leave time for your questions after each session and you can actually write your questions using this technology at any point along the way. We also hope youre going to join the conversation on twitter at atlantic live, use the hash tag atlanticathletes. One quick important safety note, if you need help or a quick exit, the guestservices staff, the people wearing all black with logos that says events d. C. , they will take good care of you if you need any help. Before we dive in, i want to take a moment to thank the washington mystics for making today possible. As i mentioned, they are starting their 2019 season here on saturday, so thank you washington mystics. [applause] and now, it is an honor and privilege to introduce the owner of the mystics and the ceo of monumental sports and entertainment, he is here to share some thoughts. [applause] thank you, everyone. It is so great to see so many students in the audience and so many of our neighbors from Congress Heights and ward eight. We promised, we said that ward eight would be the only community in the country to host an nba, wnba, team and we are so grateful that our city and events d. C. And monumental sports all came together. This saturday we have our first game here. It is very, very special. It is very culturally appropriate for us to be able to celebrate and make central the washington mystics at this platform. And so i hope you all, and enjoy the game, enjoy the season, and we promised the community that we would bring jobs. We would bring attention, we would celebrate, be good neighbors, but that we would also bring cultural events and that we were able to pull this together so quickly and work with great people at the atlantic really is shows the hour of what we can do by working together. The power of what we can do by working together. I hope this is the first annual event, that we can do this all of the time. I would like to make this community and arena the exemplar for womens sports. We should go out and recruit womens tournaments. We should have womens events here on an ongoing basis, so you help us with that. [applause] we want to make the mystics the best franchise in the wnba. We want to recruit players who not only are fantastic athletes but are even better human beings. When you look at our roster, when you look at the people we have up and down the lineup from our Coaching Staff to all of our players, what we are trying to do is hold a mirror up to the communities that we serve, and i am very, very proud of what we have done with the mystics. We are preseason favorites to win the championship. Mike tebow, i dont want to put any pressure on you or your family, but that is what our expectation is. And our expectation is that all of our teams will be able to be perennial playoff teams, that the players we have in the organization will not only be great athletes and performers on the court, but that they will go out into the community and give back. We have made great commitments in philanthropy. We will live up to every one of those commitments, and right now we promise to leave more than we take. I hope the entire city, i hope the entire city will embrace this community, will embrace womens sports and we can build something great together and something that everyone around the country can point to and says that is how you get it done. What i would like to do now is introduce one of my favorite athletes, favorite people, not only a legend on the court, got a championship here at the university of maryland and then in the wnba, wanted to come back home, wanted to be a servant in service to everyone in this audience, is one of our great leaders on the court and also is a coach now for the Washington Wizards and that kind of cross talent sharing i think youll see a lot more from us. And with that, please help me to welcome christy oliver. Christy. [applause] christy hello. Lets give a shout out to the washington mystics over there. Give them a little love. [applause] christy now we know what business casual looks like, you guys are ready. On behalf of my teammates, i want to welcome everyone to the new home of the washington mystics. We look forward to another exciting season here in our new home in Congress Heights. Im thrilled to be kicking off todays discussion about the intersection of sports and social justice. There has never been a more important time for us athletes to raise our voices and use our platforms for good. But i want to make the point that this conversation is not new for the mystics. We have long believed in using our power to stand up and speak out. We are a team of women who care about a number of different issues, from raising awareness about Mental Health to bringing opportunity to young women and girls, and we are a team of advocates and activists. We believe that the strength and power of our sport rests on the strength and the power of the next generation of young women and girls. We are a team of strong women and social justice warriors, so this conversation is a natural progression of who we are and what we represent. Thank you all for being here today. Enjoy the next couple of hours of very, very good informative discussion. [applause] thank you, kristi, and thank you ted for an inspired beginning. I got to say i would never thought i would be on the same court with kristi toliver. With that, lets dive in. Many athletes have used their platform to shine a light on issues they really care about from religion to race to gender equality to criminal justice reform. When speaking out, they can jeopardize their careers, their financial stability, and even their teams feeling of unity. Some athletes are still paying the price today for their activism decades ago. Others are now celebrated for standing up to injustice. To kick us off today, here is a quick take on the long defiant history of athletes and activism. Sports and activism are woven into the american experience. Oftentimes sports has been the leader when it comes to social change and when it comes to societal change. What sports often does is it provides a spotlight to issues that are often being discussed in smaller communities, often hidden away without media coverage. When athletes become involved, it becomes hard to ignore the larger social issues. Robinson is now more than a ballplayer. He is by circumstance a representative of his race. Bill russell the man is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men. When a restaurant refused to serve the black celtics, he refused to play in the scheduled game. Because sports gives us as close to a meritocracy as we can think of in this society, it often can be a leader in terms of changing how we in society view one another. In this Political Climate that were in, its become more important for athletes to be activists today. I think they see the danger of what happens when the people who have been blessed with the most, when they become disinterested in the everyday struggle. Please welcome Damien Thomas and john carlos here with Atlantic Staff writer jemele hill. [applause] jemele thank you for joining us. Dr. Carlos, you cant walk out that cool. I am struggling. [laughter] as we saw from the video, sports has been such a powerful vehicle for change and seems to be very conducive to activism. Why do you guys think that is . I think today it seems like sports are more conducive to activism particularly because we have a situation where athletes are more empowered. Certainly if you think about the union protections that the nba players have, the nfl players, major league baseball, i think thats a major part of why, why athletes can be a little bit more socially engaged, because they have fought for the right to have strong unions. Thats a point we often forget. John i think the athletes today are finding themselves in terms of who they are and what their worth is. I think that they realize that they are a voice for the voiceless. They remember the communities that they came from. They remember where they have risen to. But they realize that their problems are still as great as it was before they were recognized as athletes. Jemele how do you all measure the impact that athletes have when it comes to activism . John i think it goes far and wide. You know, an athlete is recognized universally as well as the president of the United States. You can look at Michael Jordan, muhammad ali, jackie robinson, jack johnson, all of them had a voice. Youngsters today have a voice and realize they have to protect the rights of those young individuals coming behind them. Damion i think one of the ways in which you measure it is the extent to which we see social change. What we have to remember about athletes is athletes dont lead social revolutions, they respond to them. So what happens is that people are on the ground in a place like ferguson, in new york after the murder of eric garner and when athletes become involved, what often is a conversation taking place in a localized Community Becomes a national conversation. It becomes something that people cant ignore. I think thats when athletes involvement is most powerful and impactful. It just helps enlarge the conversation. Jemele damion, you have the difficult job, but im sure the rewarding job as the curator of sports at the National Museum of africanamerican history of having a large say in who gets to be in the museum. So how do you decide given that there are so many athletes throughout history who have used their platform for social change . Damion its tough. Its a tough task. I think the first thing is that the gallerys not a hall of fame. Its just not merely about chronicling the idea that africanamericans can run fast and jump high. But it really is about the larger political, social, and cultural context of athletic engagement. The first thing that i do is i think about the gallery as one of 12 stories. The museum has 12 galleries. In sports is an entryway, and you hope that at least one of the galleries resonates with someone. So when it comes to thinking about, about which athletes sort of get involved, i try not to think about it that way. And its one of the things if you go to the gallery, you will notice that the rooms are divided in terms of basketball, football, baseball, and what i try to do is to think about the larger contributions of that sport to this struggle for greater rights and equality. But you also have to respect your visitor and understand that the visitors want to see individual stories. And thats why in the back, we have the whats known as the Michael Jordan Game Changers hall, where we tell more individual stories. And also, what you have to do is balance. You have to balance time periods. You have to balance social causes. You have to balance different sports and things like that. And what just hope to do is to come up with something that is representative more so than comprehensive for athletic engagement. Jemele by the way, thank you for giving me one of the best not so humble brags because i can tell people im in the museum. [laughter] because when you go in there, theres videos that play, and i happen to be in one of those videos. Damion youre not just in the videos you are starring. You play a starring role in this gallery. Jemele [laughter] it was interesting because years ago when i sat down with you, i dont think it really sunk in how important it was. So im glad i was able to sound reasonably intelligent in most of those videos. Now speaking of videos, if you guys noticed in the video that was played before we took the stage, there was a young gentleman raising his fist on an olympic medal stand which would be obviously dr. Carlos. Now some of us in the room are old enough to know that full story, but theres a lot of people in this room who dont know that full story, so would you please do us the honor of explaining what went into your decision 51 years ago, and last year was the 50th anniversary, 51 years ago to execute one of the most memorable, some could argue the most memorable, protest of all time when you talk about an athletes involvement . So talk about that decision in 1968 that you and tommy smith decided to raise your fists on the medal stand. John you know, we was at a Pivotal Point in history. You know i think we had so much strife going on throughout the world, dealing with racial issues and social issues. As Young Athletes, we felt that we had a significant role in this because we traveled the world and represented america. We saw what was happening in america to people of color, blacks in particular. We felt that we wanted to make a statement of some sort, maybe to withdraw from the Olympic Movement all together, say we will take a step back and not go to the Olympic Games. So we opposed a possible olympic boycott. But there were so many Young Athletes that felt, i trained all my life. I promised my kids i was going to go to the olympics, my community is counting on me. We didnt have the right to tell these individuals, man, you must vacate that thought and step back. So we decided to have a vote. But before the vote, we decided that we would go and research and study, to have a foundation so when they come and stick that microphone in your face, you can speak on issues. When we realized that these individuals was not on the same level we were, our next venture was to educate them, to make them understand why it was necessary to potentially create a boycott of the Olympic Games. But yet and still, through the education it is hard to tell an individual, man, we want you to make this sacrifice, so we took a vote and they voted to go. I was upset that they voted to go because i thought it was so significant, if we had stuck together and uniformally said, we choose to step back, and say you know, we love representing america, but we want america to represent us as well. Then we decided after they decided they wanted to go, well, im going to stay home. For one, john carlos that was my thought. But theres a creator in this universe, and he objected and said, well, john, if you stay home, someones going to go in your spot, where they represent you the way you need to be represented. Then i was psyched up to get ready to make that team. I went on, i made the team. We went through the rounds, the rounds, the process of elimination, you might say, and we got to the quarter semi, and i decided i wanted to make a statement. Im here at the games, but i cant just merely go and win a medal and get on the victory stand, and just be there like everything is just peachy cream. So i decided that i would approach mr. Smith. We collaborated. We agreed, yes, we will make a statement. And then we brought all the facts together, the gloves, the socks, the scarf, the beads, the Liberty Project for human rights button, and we approached the victory stand. Mind you now, we had been receiving threats throughout that twoyear period leading up to the games, but my thoughts were well, they might take my life, but they can never take this demonstration away. Once its done, its done. I felt that was far more important than my life because when i came into the games, i didnt go to the games to make a statement for john carlos. I meant to make that statement for my kids and their peers. For your kids. For a lot of you youngsters out in the audience today. That statement still registers 51 years later. So it was necessary to make a universal statement for people to open their minds and begin to challenge themselves in terms of what type of individual, what type of human being i am. Because i cant change it by merely putting my fist to the sky. We as a society have to change the ills of society. Jemele so this is the part i always think gets lost about that entire experience. Its what happened to you guys after you came home. Well one, you were dismissed from the team, correct . John yes. Jemele you were dismissed from the team. Had Brent Musberger ever apologized to you . Because Brent Musberger, who was on air as the announcer, a big reason why i tell people even now as they are talking about Colin Kaepernick and other sports and social issues, be careful what you say because it may live in eternity in a way that will embarrass you years later. And Brent Musberger called you and tommy smith black stormtroopers. I think that was the phrase. John blackskinned stormtroopers. Jemele blackskinned stormtroopers. On television. Has he apologized to you yet . John Brent Musberger doesnt even exist in my mind. So i dont know who he is. [applause] jemele good answer. John he didnt mean anything to me 51 years ago. He doesnt mean anything to me today, because hes been proven to be wrong. The earlier part you were asking me about . Jemele the fallout. What happened once you guys got back to the states . John well, we got back to the states, say when we went to the Olympic Games, the sun was shining. It was right. You could see the rainbows in the sky. And when we got back home, it was chaos. It was stormy weather. Just lightning everywhere. But one of the most important things that i had to learn is that those individuals that were supposed to be your peers and your friends, were supposed to have an understanding, they began to step away, move away from you. You start to sniff yourself, am, and i smelling bad . Why are my friends leaving . It took two years for me to realize that they werent leaving because they didnt have any love or respect for me or like me. They were leaving for fear of reprisal. The same type of reprisal we had to endure and i say we, i am talking about tommy smith, peter norman as well as john carlos, for 40 plus years. But i would go for another 140 years to do that again if it was necessary. [applause] you know, you can, as a young individual this is the way i used to frame this thing years ago. I was young individual, i was idealistic, i had a paradigm in terms of how our society could be, how we could love one another, and help one another to make this a beautiful earth, and i felt like i was on top of this pine tree, the highest pine tree you could imagine, and i felt like i was on the highest branch, and i knew what i was about to do was going to disturb, upset, or infringe upon other peoples rights, and i felt that that branch would break, but i didnt have any concern about the branch breaking because there were so many branches underneath that understood why i was there, and they would catch me when that branch broke. But i learned, they retract those branches. So when we took the fall, we took the fall, and we hit the ground so hard, we bounced almost back to the top. But yet and still, it was worth doing it. And i realized at the same time that the guy that made the statement, every man is an island within himself, and i had to think for myself in terms of whats my role in this life that god gave me . Is it merely for me just to be a superstar and stick my chest out and say, yeah, im the greatest . No. I want all individuals to have that same opportunity, and be able to challenge themselves to be the best they can be, and defy anyone that tries to stop them, tell them that they dont have a right to go to this university, and they dont have a right to go to this community, or you cant get into this hospital. I think about, you know, charles groh. I think about this man a black man, and merely because he was a black man, the invention that he made, he lost his life based on the color of his skin. So when you sit back and think about that, as well as black soldiers that went to the First World War such as my father, and came home and was disrespected, think about Harry Belafonte coming here as a young man and they are telling him he couldnt swim in the public pool. Think about john carlos as a little kid, wanting to go to the olympics. The first time he heard about the olympics, he heard about someone swimming the English Channel. And i said pop, whats the English Channel . I want to swim it. And then i heard about the Olympic Games. Daddy, whats the olympics . Well, thats where the greatest athletes in the world come together to see whos the strongest physically and whos the strongest mentally. Well, pop, do they have swimming . Yes, son. Im going to be the first black to represent america. And he told me after a year, because he saw i was very serious about getting ready to make that team, and he came to me, and he told me, he said son, youre never going to be able to go to the olympics as a swimmer. What you talking about, dad . Im the best. Im the best in new york. I said, why cant we go . He put his hand out and he rubbed his hand. I thought he was rubbing a bug bite, but actually he was telling me merely because of the color of ones skin, they cannot be in this planet what god intended for them to be. My whole life has been trying to change that. For the rest of my life, i will continue to try and change it, so we can all come together as we are in this audience together to be one. [applause] that history that dr. Carlos just spoke about, talk about soldiers. General, howory in can athletes use that history to inform their activism today . History is important. It provides us lessons that we can draw from. It also provides us with a certain strength to realize that no matter how bleak things seem today, that people have word mark, survived more and come out and decided to fight. One of the most important moments i had in my personal development was that i was at an event with randall robinson. Which foughtgroup for the end of apartheid south africa. Early founded in the 1970s. We started, when that fight in the early 70s, we never thought we would see the end of apartheid in our lifetime. It happened 20 years later. That inhim talk about the lesson i can draw from that, sometimes you have got to fight even when you cant with with. Win. I just want to tell people we will be taking your questions. You might want to start thinking about them you can use the website to type in your questions. They will pop up on sunscreen. Some screen. You have seen a conversation, you know this all too well. Despite the nature of the times, when you were an athlete, despite all that, you were told to just shut up and players for. Play your sport. Athletes today are hearing the same thing. Howdy response to people who feel like all athletes should do is worry about athletic contributions. I dont Pay Attention to people who dont make sense. It does not make any sense. Didnt make any sense to jack johnson, to jackie robinson, they told them the same thing. All of them received the same note they put under my door. This. Look at it like audience, you the are born into this world and he wants to make the Football Team with the best quality, why, because you want to get in the game. The concept of the game is to win. But there are other individuals who did not go out to try and get on team. But they were pushed into the game of life. That is the game im concerned about winning. Im not concerned about individuals but tell me to just go out and play sports. Before i was an athlete, i was a human being. When i dive, i will be that once i die dr. , i will be that human being. At me in terms of me being a blueprint. And sayl turn the pages someone didnt stand up, someone did make a statement did stand up, someone made a statement. That goes across the board. Someone stood up against all odds to say that you are wrong and had no fear. People always say, man, you can get killed. I say, i am born dead, im fighting to live. Again, you can go to slid o. Com if you have a question. We have one already for dr. Carlos. Can you speak about peter norman . Who dontor those know, the other person on the podium with john carlos. That peterust say norman is my brother from another mother. Let me say that he was a very unique visual. Uniquetalented unique individual, very talented, very sure of himself. , looking at an athlete, it did not take part in its to see i was looking at a man. He had values and concerns about what was happening in australia, because we have people of color in australia, too. One individual, one grain of sand in australia who had compassion. I did not know this through any on whattion, just based he should be in terms of his character. , you tryding against to make a move on me, i looked at him out of the corner of my eye, i catch awaiting me that waving me back to. Back down. He showed me he had true grit. Matriculatent on to and decide to formulate this demonstration. Peter looked over and said, what are you doing . We said we would make a statement. I said, let me ask you a question, do you believe it human rights in human rights . He said, of course. I asked would you like to wear a human rights but. Button. He started reaching for mine, i said, get back, i will give you one. He put one on and he was so proud. He had courage to wear that, although courage in the world all the courage in the world. He said on that stand with us. We raised our fist and peter norman stood in attention. Attention for our flag and the australian flag. But because he had an olympic project for human rights but tacked on his sweatsuit, it was like he defied the white society. Because it represented people in peril. Us. Hose to stand with so when you think about what happens to tommy smith and john about thesek dualities. Go ripht side is lets up on tommy smith, left side on john carlos. We get arrested. All peter norman went back to australia, and did my assessment, they were running parallel to south africa. So peter norman did not get any rest. Beat him 24 7, 365. , he neverenounced us stepped away from us, he never said one bad thing about it in his life. He took it to his grave. I will always have respect for peter norman in my soul. Do you want to add something . Point, thea major significance of south africa. Because in 1964, elliptic committee kicked south africa out of the olympics because of apartheid. In 1968, they decided to allow south africa to come in. That created a lot of controversy in the olympic project for human rights, which was instrumental in ensuring south africa did not participate in the 1968 olympics. Peter norman faced a lot of prosecution because of that stand. Because australia and south africa were major allies. When he wore that but, he was , he was seen as criticizing the most important ally. That is why he faces a lot persecution. Question andother i think it is important. As a black star athlete in a white high school, what would you tell those black kids about overt racist comments . I would tell them you have to rise above that. Said, you have people who are intelligent people who are ignorant. The ignorant people who make these statements, you have to rise above that. Words can always infringe upon your mind. No if they dont put physical hands on you, if your life is not threatened, this is something we are trying to overcome. Dont let them ever stop you by calling you the nword, that makes you want to drive even harder. Let them stop you from sitting at this table, it drives you harder. Just be strong in who you are. When i talked to jackson years ago, he did a song called man in the mirror. What i said is, michael the problem we have is that most people brush their teeth, wash their face, but he never got in touch with the person in the mirror. Are. Out who you once you find out who you are, no one can stop you. We are so busy looking at everyone else and not paying attention to who we are. Once we realize our strengths, no one can stop you. That is why you are better than the. Than me to pay for that, thats why i dont even answer the question petty for that, that is why i dont even answer the question. I would be remiss not to give them a round of applause for everything that has been said. [applause] thank you for coming out, we love you. [applause] for a conversation on leveling the playing field, please welcome Christine Brennan scurry, andcarry hillaryknight. And knight. All right. This conversation, while still on the theme of activism, we will talk specifically about challenges and issues involving womens sports. We talked in the first panel about people who were involved in protests in the past. Now we are going to talk to somebody involved in the protests going on right now. Why dont you explain to people what is happening in the decision to unionize. It is a huge decision. You know, we collectively got together. World, 200ound the plus players, we said we do not like the way professional womens ice hockey is. We want something sustainable and we are willing to forgo a convenient place to play today to build a better tomorrow. And what has been the response you have received . Not just from other athletes, but generally the fan base. At first, a lot of fans were like, wait we cannot see you play. But they understand, and there has been a lot of support. We had a lot of success with our equitable support battle. We are getting through it and we will build something that is even greater everyone will be happier with that outcome. Speaking of current battles, the u. S. Womens soccer team is suing for gender discrimination. What makes the team and their fight kind of different from other womens sports . I think the womens soccer team was one of the pioneering teams that fought for equality. I remember when we were playing myself and the 99 years 20 years years 99ers, we felt it was important for all who come behind us. We wanted to massage therapists, like the men, we want childcare, we dont want to be in the middle seat on the airplane, that kind of stuff. Ironically those were things that were an issue. Todays battle is a little bit different. They are really trying to put you best soccer to put u. S. Soccer for equal pay. Flyinghese other it says Business Class to events, like the men do. Some things are the same, but the overall scheme of getting , especially men since our team has won 70 world chevy chase and olympic gold has won so many World Championships and 11 gold medals olympic gold medals. [applause] now is the perfect time to do it. They launch that lawsuit on International Womens day. If you ask me, it was choreographed perfectly. It is interesting you guys have to have that fight. Often, what is used is that you are not as successful as men, but in this case, they cannot win that argument. Lines, christine, as somebody who has covered womens sports, what kind of impact do you think this is having on womens sports to see . See female hockey players mobilizing and challenging a system that has tried to basically make them live through and with inequity. They will be in the history books. 100 years now, you will be studying these women. And what they did, in terms of american cultural history. Today is the greatest day to be a women in sports until tomorrow. Those who know me know i am a positive person. Issues, and ir have been so lucky to cover most of you. Last time i saw hillary, she had a gold medal around her neck, the u. S. Beating canada the the 2018 olympics. Lot, last seen you a time i saw her, she had a gold medal. I was there to see the most famous save in the history of u. S. Soccer. And watching you and your teammates with in one of the favorite stories of my career. Right,ree, the time is and i know you will agree as well. Women are being heard, we are in the me too athletes or sisters or cousins now are being called congresswoman. 25 women in the senate. Women running for president to the point where it doesnt surprise us when another woman is running for president. Of course, Hillary Clinton in 2016 winning the popular vote. [applause] not that we are being political or anything. But as a journalist covering this, i have seen a change. It is a bigger deal now. Sports sections are aware of it. We have done a terrible job in the sports media of covering womens sports. We have missed it, we have blown it over the last 30, 40 years, but now the pressure is on things to people like you. The story about u. S. Soccer was on a one of the new york usa today, and now they are part of the conversation as they were never before. That is progress. [applause] jemele most female athletes have a lot more to lose than their male counterparts and it comes to endorsements. Or they dont even have much to spare to begin with. Why is it we are constantly seeing female athletes be at the forefront when it comes to speaking out and activating, their activism. A lot of mystics layers are in the room right now, many of whom ive seen speak out against the abortion ban going on across the country. That is a fight they dont necessarily have to take on, and it is a risky one, and yet when it comes to Police Brutality or the abortion batter many gender discrimination, equitable pay, women are at the forefront despite having more to lose. Why is that . There is an innate sense of responsibility to use our voices and use the platform to help other people. Part of it is because we are living it, and understand we can lend a voice to someone who doesnt have the same platform. I think women for generations have had to fight, claw, and try to get equality, in not only the right to vote, in the workplace, to be able to fight for your country, i mean, women have always had to fight for everything. As far back as you want to go in history. And so to be doing that from an athletic lat form is not new, but it is a bit novel. It is a lot it is a light younger of a platform for us to use to advance. Nd we are not asking for more we are asking for equal. Me the unfortunate thing for with the Womens National soccer team is that we have proven that we are more than our male counterparts in terms of success. [applause] yet we still have to fight for the paid to be equal. And that, to me, is upside down. And we are fighting still to try to write that wrong. Jemele christine, as you mentioned, and i witnessed this throughout my journalistic career, media sports sections have lagged woefully behind when it comes to covering womens sports. In your mind, what does parity when it comes to this coverage look like for womens and mens sports . Its a great question. Jemele, i have known you for a long time and i couldnt be prouder of what you are doing and how you are doing it, and this event, and to see all of you. These werent happening, right . This wasnt happening. So just the fact we are talking about these issues. In a weird way, social media is hammering Sports Editors and pointing these things out in a way that phone calls couldnt. Probably, and maybe even for you ao, a mom or dad would call local paper and ask, why arent you covering my daughters soccer team . It certainly was happening when i worked at the Washington Post, why arent you giving equal coverage to the girls and boys . And part of it is you have wrote teams in cities that are entrenched. So we get that. You are not just going to have the Washington Post when i was there immediately overturned and do 5050 coverage of womens pro sports because you didnt have 5050 in terms of that. But to not cover it all or to ignore it, and where things were really happening would be, for example, here we are in d. C. , maryland womens lacrosse. And i happen to know because i womensthe maryland lacrosse game because i am a northwestern wildcat and maryland took it to us, but the point is if that coverage is not those twoause programs, women win more than the maryland men, but if that coverage isnt equal here in local tv, and tv and radio, all of you should be picking up the phone or tweeting to tell them you notice that. Because one or two phone calls are one or two tweets can be like an explosion in terms of waking people up. And it is noted in a newsroom. So i do think, as bad as twitter can be in terms of trolling and awful things that are said, especially to women, especially women of color, that as a whole another seminar and topic, but i think if you are on twitter, whatever,instagram, email, and you see something you dont like in the media, send a or ifor email that person you dont know, email me and i will help you figure it out. My website is just my name. And let them know you are out there and you noticed it wasnt equal. And i think that is where we are awareness. Ncreased and of course twitter is being used for so many bad things, but there is good in it. Try to take the good in it and use it to the word out and let Sports Editors and sports directors around where you live, let them know you are watching and that you will be a consumer, especially if you are a young kid in the room, a young consumer, you will be a consumer for the next 60 years and they should listen to you. Christine if you have questions you can go to slidell. Com slido. Com. Christine, as there are continued battles over title nine, what is that mean for the future of womens sports . Christine title ix is the most important law in our country over the past 40 years. I know there is a lot of competition for that, but i do. And i think we are just beginning to see the benefits. I would also love to hear what both of you think about this. Im guessing that is where you were headed. But for me, we havent even begun to see. Is0yearold today, when she 50, first of all there will have been a woman president in this country guaranteed in the 30s and 40s for sure if not in 2020. There will be 5050 in the house and 5050 in the senate. There has to be, because this demographic of race, this title ix wave is cresting over the country. Again, im optimistic, i know there are issues, but i think hilaryat i think briana, when we look back at our lives we will see women who are Running Companies and running universities in the president and whatever, and the common denominator for all these women is that they will have played sports because of title ix. What do you think . I couldnt agree more. Im a huge benefactor from title morend i couldnt be humbled to be the representative for title ix in the africanamerican museum as well. Once again, it goes back to the initial thing we were saying about how women have to fight. Title ix had to be enacted, it had to be passed, it had to be enforced to poll for equality. Otherwise, we wouldnt be here. I know i wouldnt be if i wasnt a benefactor of that. So it is incredibly relevant, and it is just now that you are seeing the fruits of that labor. Like christine said, in 20, 30, 40 years from now youre going to see a lot more of that. I think it is always going to be relevant and does time goes on it will be more so. Christine we have out jemele we have our first question. How can men help female athletes fight for full equality . Hilary use your voice and support, turn on your tv, social media, all voices collectively are powerful. One of our big battles in 2017 was how much we were supported by nhl players, and we werent necessarily asking about money support, financial support, however lending their voice to what we were trying to do definitely help to move our support closer to what we needed in terms of marketability, visibility and also resources. I think men are a huge component of this, because men are the ones with the keys, the ones that have all the gold, the ones that have the power. So for womens soccer in particular, it is important to get the support of our Mens National team players, but it is also Important Press to get support from board members, people who are sponsors, the and thethe nikes snickers and the budweisers of the world to stand up and say, i support your sport and i support not only soccer but womens soccer. And that is one of the reasons why a sponsor comes on board. They want to be with a winner. And i think that is important. So men are crucial to help move the envelope for womens equality and in womens sports in particular. Briana and christine and of course billie jean king, such a huge presence to this day on this topic. Billie jean king talked about dads big the greatest feminists of all because once they had if it takes having a daughter, and some of the younger people wouldnt necessarily know this but there were times when someone had a baby and the man, the father, would go back to work and all his friends would commiserate, darn, it was a girl. You wanted a boy to play sports with, and it was a girl. Im talking about the 1940s, 19 50s, 1963 that was happening a lot. Well now, a dad is thrilled to have a girl because, get ready for everything the boys had, tball, soccer, hockey, volleyball, et cetera. So that is gone and that is a huge change in our country, culture change, it really is. These things usually dont happen this quickly. We fell in love with title ix as a nation and men have fallen in love with title ix as a nation. Tiger woods, say what you will, and i have set it about tiger, good and bad, an amazing story obviously in the last month or so. Is aods is in the title ix mail. The day he won the masters his daughter almost didnt come that they because she had a soccer tournament the day before, state championships in florida and because those were over she could make it to agusta. Otherwise, she would have been play soccer and that would have been just fine with tiger and with her mom. That is so different in this country to have the golf world talk about a girls athletic schedule. Unbelievable. Bri is right. It is a mans world still, but it is Getting Better every day. So to have a male voice chime in on the knee of these topics. Sayingying that something that is so true and so right and so honest but a lot of the establishment doesnt want to hear it. But when the guys chime in it is kind of cool and thankfully now, there are millions and means of men chiming in to support women and girls. Christine your story meele your story reminded of kobe bryant. Hes a huge supporter of the wnba. His older daughter some his older daughters playing basketball and shes quite good and he laughs when guys come up and say, dont you want a boy to be just like you . And he told the story, i think my daughter has it just fine. Hes ok with that. So i think thats cool that he is supportive of the leak, as many nba players are, and also is reminding people that he might have the next great one. Comednt it just didnt in the package they expected. Heres another question. Considering the recent controversy with nike, talk about issues around sponsorships, endorsements, and pregnant athletes. Christine again, this is where we are as a culture and it is fantastic. So many women had to fight this fight alone or with a teammate, friend, spouse, partner, whatever. Journalistsw, the view, it is a long time coming, it took way too long, often we have to Shame Companies into doing things, and when i say shame as a journalist, im not going to shame them, im going to report it then let the chips fall where they may. We might have a hope for an outcome, we dont know, but we shine a light as journalists. That is what we do. So this clearly came up, it was a big deal, it got attention, and Allyson Felix among others has been leading the charge on this center place in the history books is a sealed, as well as a so many others, on these topics. So in 10, 15 years, people will look back and say, they didnt do this . I think that is how things are changing. It is the shame it took this but thankfully now they are there and nike is a huge sponsor of womens soccer. And that may be a bit of a surprise that they werent on the ball on this one. Around they came eventually. For the Womens National soccer team, my experience has been, essentially, two of my teammates were the original soccer moms. They were basically the two people where the term soccer mom came from because they were both pregnant and had children while they were still playing. They ended up bringing the kids and that was part of the battle we had with the federation about nannies and being able to bring kids and having that taken care of and covered. Androgress takes time doesnt always happen in a straight line. Sometimes a certain touch point to make a change occur. And when you look back you are thinking, wise it taking so long . Sometimes you have to hit the nerve just right, and i think finally it has been hit. Recent cash the decision regarding castor, as the broader fight of inclusivity the next frontier in the battle . Christine, what are your thoughts on how big an issue this is about to become . Christine if you havent read it, read it. It is not a tweet, not a headline. I feel terrible for castor, she has been twisting in the wind, leaders didnt lead, she has not gotten answers. It has been this, that, back and forth. She was born a certain way and this is about her life. It has been horrible, the way she has been treated. Having said that, we have decided womens sports and pro sports are a category that we care about. So the level of testosterone is an important conversation. And i am one of the people who give you a straight answer. Youll know where i stand. This is more nuanced because we care so much about her rights but there are issues out there, nefarious use of these kind of things by a country like russia, i have no idea what is in the future, but we do need to be very aware of how much we care about testosterone levels and people say Michael Phelps had a big wingspan. We have not put a wingspan of wingspan or foot size as a category we care about. If we did, michael would be in a different category than others. But women and womens sports we want to protect. So test tossed around is an important marker in the conversation, and again having said that, castor has been treated horribly and is a hero and my heart goes out to her. We have another one. Why do more people attend boys games and not girls games . Hilary, would you like to tackle this one . Hilary sure. It is a visibility issue. People did not even know we were in town playing. That is a great missed opportunity. Part of that is marketing but we found other avenues to combat these issues and hopefully that will change moving forward. But having a set platform, knowing we will be in town in whatever sport that is and whoever is on stage is important. Briana i always like to come back to the beginning of questions like that. If you have 100 seeds and you are planting 98 of them on one side and you are planting two of them on the others, where are you going to have more growth . Are you going home or growth on the 98 seed side or the two seed side . So with our team, womens soccer, that was always our argument. You are not seeding the field properly. Youre not giving them the marketing dollars, not telling people youre playing here, not broadcasting the team is coming, you are not putting all that money into development. So what happens over time is the crop grows, and the visibility seed side,n the 98 which is the mens side, and that is the same with womens, too. But we have been able to accomplish womens basketball, womens soccer, with fewer seeds. And we have brought great glory to the country from all over the world in the way we have achieved. And all we ask is equal seeds. Can you put 50 on one side and 50 on the other and see what happens . I think that will level out the scale. I think its important that you judge womens sports relative to the history and where they are, as opposed to always always making growth in male sports a comparative example. As christine mentioned, wnba has been in existence for 20 years. Title ix has been in existence for 40 years. Look at where mens sportswear or after 20rs years. Compare it to that, as opposed to comparing it to entrenched billionDollar Industries who over time have been able to build a fan base and build an audience. Certainly, the marketing and all that stuff is hugely important but also i think sometimes women wind up taking unfair and unnecessary criticism because they arent as far along, when the comparison shouldnt even be there, given the structural things are already in place from mens sports. Anyway that is our time. , a round of applause for the wonderful panel. [applause] i think that is our cue to exit. Thank you, guys, for listening. Please welcome to the stage washington, d. C. Mayor muriel bowser. Mayor bowser good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the hall of the washington mystics. We want to welcome you to our new entertainment and sports arena here in Congress Heights in ward eight. And we are very much looking forward to saturdays home hometurdays mystics opener right here in their new , arena. [applause] theyre going to have a true homecourt advantage. We have said before, when we were fighting to build this arena that this arena is bigger , than basketball. I am so proud of the washington mystics and monumental sports , who have been able to play such an Important Role in bringing this arena to ward 8. Esa, what we call it, has always been about making a big investment in the community and a team that deserves it so much. So just like the district invested in chinatown, in the park at the navy yard, at the field that buzzers point, we knew it was time for east of the river to get its investment in its new arena. [applause] and in building this arena, we get the mystics the court that they deserve, too. Today i am excited to be here for what i am certain will be a powerful conversation about athletes, activism and the role of women in sports. There are no shortage of stories about what male athletes have done in bringing positive change through activism. And many of those stories become stories that are taught in school or common cultural references. And they are certainly powerful stories, but we want everybody to know they are not the only stories. Still today, we have so many examples of women in sports leading Important National conversations. We heard a few just moments ago. For example, you heard about the lawsuit that the u. S. Womens soccer team is bringing demanding equal pay for equal work. In the political arena we can do many things by law, but other things have to be hard fought in the courts. Heard anhis month, we montana,unner, alicia spoke out about discrimination against female athletes. When they become pregnant and their sponsors arent sure what to do with a woman who is a mother and athlete. We all know what is happening in womens gymnastics, where those athletes are fighting not to be abused sexually. We all know what serena williams, arguably one of the best in the world, has used her platform time and time again to stand up for women. She has spoken about issues facing black Maternal Health care. And i would argue it wasnt until serena spoke up that people really listened and learned and began fighting for black moms giving birth in our nation. She has stood up against the constant policing of what women wear or how we wear our hair or express our frustration. If we are mad, we are angry or hysterical. She is literally changing the game for not only women in tennis but women in all walks of life. When female athletes raise their issues, we know that the cause is bigger than themselves and often bigger than their teams. They are raising issues that affect women around the world and across the nation. Like this arena is bigger than basketball, the issues female athletes face are also bigger than sports. I know you will hear from claw andholtz and i want to thank , them for sharing their stories about Mental Health, activism and sports. In the district, over 20,000 people of all different backgrounds and ages and incomes receive care for a range of mental and Behavioral Health issues. And its up to all of us to make sure we are removing the stigma and promoting people taking active participation in their , and that care includes behavioral and Mental Health issues. In the coming year, were investing over 300 million just through one of my agencies. So that more washingtonians have access to the healthy, happy lives they deserve. It is a small price to pay, because when we meet people where they are and give them the support and treatment they need, we know that they can prosper in our city. I want to turn it over to the next panel but i also want to , thank and recognize ted from monumental sports. Supportnk you to your of womens athletes. Jemele hill, who is an outstanding representative for bringing activism and athletics together. And once again, our home team, the washington mystics. Have a great day everybody. ,[applause] sessionr next, a produced by the washington mystics. [applause] winning those games to win those championships, man, it was like the best feeling on earth. We are out there winning one year after the next after the next. I felt like a rockstar. Im not going to lie. I was on top of the world. The implosion really had a lot to do with all the accolades. Because when things are not going great in your personal life, when youre not happy, it is difficult to continue to be placed under that demand to be perfect, to be great, to be the best. Announcer please welcome former washington mystics player claw, here withla monumental broadcaster megan mick peake. Megan mcpeak. We are going to have a good conversation about Mental Health. Thats a piece of the documentary that is coming out soon on you. Its out already . Its out already. With Mental Health, specifically in the African American community, it is a tough conversation to have. Its a conversation that doesnt really get spoken about. What do you think plays a role in that. You look at the Africanamerican Community and people that have dealt with oppression, people that have been dehumanized, that creates a trauma. One thing that has guided us forward is our faith. We pray, we had to church, we get together, we hope for a better tomorrow. But when you add Mental Health and wellness with toughness, you cant pray everything away, especially if it is a chemical imbalance. You have to move people forward to get the help they need. A couple of years ago like 10 you saw a lot of Counseling Centers that were maybe for marriage counseling or maybe financial literacy, but now go to churches around the world and now it is mental helpingnd wellness, people who have lost jobs recover, helping people who have lost loved ones recover. Thats great because the church lays a big role in the healing of people, and to see now the black Church Suicide conventions and things like that to really help people, its amazing. Who dontr people know your story, who was it who pushed you to seek help, outside of praying, to combat the imbalances you were having trouble dealing with . Hamique in my place in my case it took a village. It was something that was going to turn a life apart area probably wouldnt be here. The thing that hit home was that my coach was battling dementia and i remember people calling me from tennessee, the coach needs to see you, and im living in and i wouldhe time drive the three hours to knoxville and she looks at me and she goes, since you were young i have always told you to get these people away from you. There are too many distractions, you have to deal with people now that know your character. So when i think about people who knew my character, its people who called me at my weakest moments, the head coach at tennessee, other players, and they are like, you have always been there for others, you should take care of you. And it was fear as well, fear that you could find yourself in a mentalhealth institution, fear when things happen and you dont know, you are so displaced, people tell you, this happened that you dont even remember. Its a scary situation. How hard was it for you to take that first step after you met with coach summit and essentially swallow your pride. You felt like a rockstar. At one point everybody was shouting your name and you were on top of your game, but you had to accept that something was wrong. How hard was the first step . All of this,ough im a competitive person and i saw how this was. I would come down from those highs, because i have bipolar disorder, and when you come down, the lows that the lows can really keep you trapped in a bad space. But when i would try to come out of it i would just realize the love around me and the support, and i just wanted to be better, better daughter, better sister, better wife, like, i just really challenged myself and i am just glad i have gotten to the other side of it. Im not cured it or anything, i look at it as an alcoholic going through recovery, i just have a better coping mechanism right now in my life. So it is one day at a time i think the one data time. One day at a time. I think the thing that has really helped me is transparency. When you are young, the only thing you do is run, you just want to get away thinking that the grass is greener on the others. So that was the mentality i was operating in. Meghan what prompted you to then transition and become an advocate, basically the face of Mental Health . Likeque it was probably really looking back, you know i had a Suicide Attempt and i told i told myself, no one understands, im the only one dealing with this. And i realized, once i got brave enough i had a reporter call me, can she do this interview, she was stocking my agent, and it was the first time i got on aaron talked about it. And when people heard it, so many people reached out to me, like, you are not alone, i am going through this. I probably got thousands of letters, and it restored my hope , it allowed me to just really see this as a community of people coming together. And one thing that has really helped me is peers support. I know now when i met having a now, when imnow having a bad d, i have friends id colleagues a bad day, have friends and colleagues for support. I speak a lot of colleges and universities in corporate speaking for companies and sometimes i have a bad day and i can get up there and say that. If you know how that feels you can let go of all the pressure and stress that you are accepted for who you are. So i always say, i am truly living in my truth. Meghan since you have become an advocate for Mental Health, what has inspired you the most about this journey . Chamique what has inspired me the most . It has been over 10 years now and i work with a lot of collegeage kids. And to see them grow, they are faced with transitions. When they come as fresh men they are going to have a lot of freshmen, they are going to have a lot of anxiety because they are new. And when they graduate its like, im nervous, im scared, and to see them go into the world i learned to scope and learn to cope and deal with the pressures and stresses, that makes me feel so good. Im not a licensed therapist. What i try to do is a great mentorship because at the end of the day, i have friends that are psychiatrists and they say, i could get up here and say whatever but the kids are going to connect with you because you have been through. A doctor friend of mine said, i dont know what it feels like. I suffer seasonal depression, everybody goes to something, but you have been there. And when i talk to these kids i really open up how it feels, and they are like, you get it, you got it, and we just come together and try to support one another. Meghan im glad you meant and you mentioned mentor ship. The it comes to someone in public eye, another athlete or maybe someone in the audience who hasnt been able to publicly face what they are dealing with, whether talking to their family, their coaches, what can you say to that person for them to take that step . Chamique i would tell them there is so much out there now it talksture, and about athletes and their journey, and it takes a little deeper. The person i attached to, ive never met her but she helped me through this journey, it is Catherine Zeta jones. Shes the first celebrity i saw who struggled with bipolar disorder so i went and read about her and these these kids, what is the young lady that used to date Justin Bieber . Selena gomez. I had a young kid tell me, selena gomez has depression and check herself in. So these kids are able to attach, adults are able to attach, so lets read about this journey and hopefully somebody inspires you and at the end of the day you find out you are not alone. Family for friends and and colleagues, sometimes that is tough to deal with, once you have accepted you are battling Mental Health and have opened up, what can you say to friends and family and colleagues to support that person . Chamique i would say be patient. Because it is a journey, it is a ride, but let that person know you love them and are there for them. Dont try to fix them. If you are constantly trying to fix it, it irritates them. It irritated me. But just knowing that i am processing things and know you love me and care for me, it helps me get to the other side of things. What a great conversation. Chamique awesome. Thank you. [applause] announcer here to discuss the welcomeure, please cloudla bennett, natasha and hudson taylor. Emele hell. Jama jemele im back. This panel is designed to talk about the subject matter but also the mood and what makes athletes take on issues they are passionate about and will make society better. Thesha, you were part of wnba blackout in response to black lives matter. Tell us how that came about and what made you participate . . Atasha i asked the wnba what was the best approach to approach this situation. Othereams protested, teams had already done media blackouts. For the mystics we were trying to decide the best way to handle things, knowing it was still a touchy topics still a touchy topic. We knew what we wanted to get across, but how would we do it in a constructive way . So it was a media blackout. Are requirede we 40 minutes of media where they can ask us whatever questions, and we made it so that we werent answering questions about the game. We would answer, we would have one spokesperson to speak on what was happening within society and our country at the time. For us, that was our best approach, to be united. Clean, black shirts, note wnba logos. We wanted to come across as a united front from all walks of straight,e, black, gay, doesnt matter, we are all united in this fight that is going on right now in our country jemele in our country. Jemele in in all aspects, my mindset is, i have been blessed with a platform. I feel i would be doing a disservice to a lot of people that look like me that are suffering from inequality or injustice if i do not speak out i feel like thats part of the problem. With our platform here, i chose to speak on the abortion law and how asinine i think those laws are. [applause] right now in this country, we have decided that we can allow for majority of white men to sit down in a room and decide what is the best decision for a womans body and for Womens Health moving forward. What is more frustrating is that we have women in those rooms making those decisions as well. So, for us in the wnba we want to have our voices heard that we are not a piece of property that needs laws and regulations. We are our own individuals. I like to say i am promind your business. At the end of the day, no one has a right to tell me what i can and cannot do with my body that i dont have the right to my body, that i cant make decisions for my best interest and my health for the best interest of my life and when youre talking about criminalizing women for making decisions that have the ir best interest of life and health. We can all go home now, that was great. Jemele you were playing during the height of the Colin Kaepernick protest. On your own team, in the locker room, what conversations did not that protest create . Each team ive been on is a different conversation depending on location and where the guys come from. The biggest thing i think missing was empathy. There is a lot of empathetic approaches to what the conversation was about. Everyone was so firm and they thought that we wanted sympathy. No one wanted their sympathy we wanted you to empathize was going on in the world. There was no true direction to where the conversation should go. That was one of the major issues with the protest. The information is being received and delivered was a bunch of individuals attacking a major problem that included every person in the room. Jemele how did you choose to respond . I did all kinds of stuff. I was one of the guys that sat during the national anthem. I did a lot of political cartoons that spoke on the issues. As a traitor, as a writer, i try to make things that the best way i can talk most of the times is by making things. I make things that reflect how i feel. When i make art, people have to approach it and make decisions for themselves. We speak to a lot of people who get defensive about the conversation or dont want to have it. Im trying to get my white teammates to understand they are a part of this as well. If we dont have you as allies, we cannot make the impact we want to make. For us as black folks, we have been so much that we can advise with everyone. Its like, yeah, i feel you on that. That is messed up. They say, yeah, i know that happened to my cousin. We can advise with everyone, but not everyone can empathize with us. Jemele a few Football Players also spoke out when the fight for samesex marriage is going on, what is it about football, maybe it is just popular. You are better situated to answer than me, but what is about football when you see a a protester play speaking about samesex marriage that it registers differently in the public. I think weve heard it from a lot of different panelists, athletes have a tremendous amount of Cultural Capital. We live in a sport obsessed country, a sport obsessed world. You go to any high school or middle school to high school are and the halls are lined with sports trophies. When you look at the amount of coverage that certain sports get that microphone is bigger and , larger in certain sports that than it is in others. I think with lgbtq issues, sometimes the person you think is the least likely to be an ally, when they show up and Say Something in support of the quality and justice, that can open peoples eyes and get them to listen. I think still in 2019, theres this assumption that sport is not welcoming space for the lgbtq community. Theres an assumption that the Football Players are homophobic and more male athletes are homophobic and whenever you have somebody who has the confidence to disprove that assumption, it connects with people in a really unique way. Again, we heard from so many people today. Sport speaks to people across language barriers. It brings people together across political opinions. When you get that right messenger to deliver the right message, it has a huge impact. Jemele we are in a time where it is fair to say this is the best time in history to be a professional athlete when you consider the financial power athletes have, the influence, social media and all the things they are doing there. Are athletes still scared to speak out on issues, because they think they will risk losing endorsements or money, or Cultural Capital . I dont have any endorsements so [laughter] i have conversations with guys who wanted to join me, but they were like, what would nike or cocacola say . They didnt want to step on that platform. You have a lot of guys with ists. Orms are false activa you have to be active and educated on what you are active about. A lot of guys like to join a conversation because it looks cool but not really part of the conversation. Im on your team but theyre not on your team. They want to put that position out there so someone would say i was a part of it but theyre , not really a part of it. You can risk a lot of things, but like she said, it is a disservice when you get a platform its your purpose to be , the voice of the voiceless. There are lot of people that can be heard. No platform is too big or too small. Being heard by five people is better than being heard by nobody. I feel like more athletes should step up. Sorry, i feel like im talking forever. When we were protesting, there werent that many guys. There were maybe two handfuls of guys through the entire league that was truly protesting. Guys didnt jump into the conversation until trump said something that being sons of bastards or jemele that wasnt quite the word he used. The sons of female dogs. Theres kids here. But then the whole conversation was protesting against trump and the words they said. Wasnt protesting for what the actual conversation was about. It was easier for guys to join in then. Jemele we saw a situation recently where with the boston red sox, all the players of color chose not to go to the white house to celebrate having won the world series, all the white players did choose to go. As somebody who has been a part of a team protest, how did you prevent everybody from not being on the same page . How did you prevent his being a split or there would be some uncomfortable dynamics, maybe everybody in that locker room did not want to follow through with the blackout. You try to tread lightly because everyone might not be on on the page, but what we did is be set down as a team and had discussions. That is the biggest part when you are talking about social advocacy. Thank you, i got it out. Its having open dialogue and having tough conversations and that is what we did as the mistakes. We collectively figured out what would be in the best interests of everyone, not just individually who this was affecting in their everyday life. This may not affect the majority of white players, but they support us. Lets find a way youre comfortable supporting us. Even of that means we stand soley and someone speaks for us and we stand behind them, that is okay moving forward. Jemele a reminder, if you have any questions you can go to slideo. Com and ask your question and it will be addressed on the panel. Hudson, can you comment on the impact of lgbtq athletes wanting to be advocates but potentially not wanting to come out in the spotlight . One of the challenge in sport is that, whether youre an athlete in middle school or a professional athlete, theres this language that says stick to sports, shut up and dribble, dont be a distraction, and the professional level, the average career of many professional athletes is three or four or five years. And so, the risk doesnt outweigh the reward in sports spaces. I think one of the challenges is that we see and that we have in this space is, i see Colin Kaepernick not being on a team connected to the pressure that might keep an lgbtq athlete in the closet. Unless and until we have a sports culture that welcomes and embraces athlete activism are there will still be a culture that says dont be a distraction, dont talk about the things you care about. Dont share your identity with the world. I spent the last eight years working on lgbtq issues in sports and its important for athletes to come and share their story. I also dont think i have any right to ask an athlete to share their personal story with the world. For me, as somebody who is not lgbt, i put so much of the onus on the apathetic allies who say theyre supportive and then do nothing to actually impact systems of oppression, and so i dont think i need to be a person of color to care about Racial Justice. I dont need to be a woman to care about gender equality, and the same way when we look at sports spaces, we need more allies to stand up and speak out and use their privilege to help dismantle some of these systems. Jemele you said something important there that i want to follow up on. About how the culture support has to be there. A lot of people feel like the culture support has to be there within the ownership or Team Structure or whoever it is you play for. Rinerreminded of brittney g who spoke about the fact that she was encouraged to not come out because she was at baylor, which is a christian university. She was pressured not to come out. That came from baylor itself. So, what can ownership, coaches, what can they do to foster a better culture of support, and not use that term distraction, which i think is lazy when they say speaking out against Racial Justice or on behalf of lgbtq issues that that is a distraction from the team. What can owners and coaches do to have a more supportive environment for their players . They need to realize that they dont own people. [applause] jemele anyone else . That was a mic drop there. Look at what monumental did. Look at what mystics did. Were sitting on stage because our company, our team, our organization, believes in giving us the voice and giving us the platform to talk about hard discussions and discussions that need to happen. This is a prime example of what it means to be supported as a player. I can remember my rookie season, the coach coming into the locker room and there was something going on within that day, also fell on the game day, and i can remember exactly, he said today is big day for our game. Today is an even bigger day for you after our game. When the media comes in talk, about what is going on, feel free to discuss it and bring light to it, and from that to feel that as a player, you know, opposed to the nfl where you fear repercussions for speaking out, fear losing endorsements and sponsorships for speaking out and using your voice for the greater majority. To not have that fear with your organization and your company is everything. I think it starts at a young age. Once you Start Playing football, that individualism is taken away and theyre raising athletes and not raising people. The coaches need to be raising people to be human beings, not just to be great athletes. I think they miss the point. They spend so much time teaching the kids to shoot a basketball, but they dont teach them to become people. Whole people. And so i think thats super interesting conversation because i always felt like once you sign a waiver to play sports you sign over their identity, because they are shaped by being part of something that is bigger than they are and they lose themselves in that. They never get to form as an individual and form a point of view of their own. I would just say i think the way in which we shift that perceived fear or actual fear or eliminate risks is twofold. Theres a bottomup strategy and a topdown strategy. From the bottomup, theres a myth that gets perpetuated that you have these billion Dollar Industries that are based on the labor of very few people. Everything that surrounds sports does not exist if the athletes dont play, and so the only way in which that power is maintained is if athletes stay divided. And so, by keeping athletes to, like, protect what is yours, teaching them that, that is how people continue to be taken advantage of. I think when athletes speak in one voice, which we have heard from so many different people who are boycotting and organizing and mobilizing their teammates, when athletes speak in one voice, people have to listen. On the flipside is getting people to say the words of what they stand for and what they believe in. Theres a lot of people who say, yeah, im an an an ally and im supportive but what does that mean in their behavior. And you can find very few examples. So its actually just getting the owners to say i would welcome an openly gay athlete on my team. I think that would be an asset to what were trying to do here. If i was to look at most professional sports teams and ask who on that team is a champion of the lgbtq community, you would probably have to guess. The apathy is a choice that i think people in positions of power have a responsibility to change. I think the issue with the players is, the number one way people lose power is by thinking they dont have power. Athletes dont realize how powerful they are in the world and the impact they can make on culture. The number one way begin up power is by thinking we dont have power. We need to reeducate the athletes to understand how powerful they are and then they will start to make changes. Jemele and also its important to keep in mind, if youre an athlete, when it comes to management, you can do what they do. They cant do what you do. That is true. Jemele we have another question here. Domestic violence seems endemic in mens sports. Are the nfl statements and acts against Domestic Violence and child abuse adequate . I mean, Domestic Violence is an issue not with just men in sports but men in the world, it is not just there are 1500 guys in the nfl but theres so many other people in the world who have gone through the same issues. Just when it happens on this level, it gets a bigger platform. We have to stop the epidemic of Domestic Violence in the entire culture of being a man. It doesnt start with guys in the nfl. Nfl, you take the ray rice incident. Theres not a tape, he doesnt get banned from the league. You have the thing in kansas city which is ridiculous, two or threeyearold kid getting his arm broke by your star athlete. Then someone who smokes weed gets suspended and banned. Then someone beating women and kids and get a Second Chance and third chance. And dont kneel. Oh, yeah, dont take a knee , because that is the worst thing you can do ever to the nfl. But the thing but taking a knee, you are talking about joining a conversation. Its different when it is a wide receiver or a running back taking a knee. When its quarterback, the face of the franchise, that is a bigger issue, because that is who they put up on a pedestal. If Peyton Manning joined the conversation, the nfl would change. If drew brees came in and joined the conversations it would change. Tom brady, all the great white heroes throwing the football, if they jump into the conversation, it would be so much bigger. [applause] like i said earlier, chris long, he can join the conversation, but he is a defensive end. No one pays attention i love chris long chris long is my boy, shoutout to chris. But it is anonymous. Once the positions of the people you look at nfl advertisements, its all quarterbacks. Every single quarterback doing something stupid. Im just keeping it real with you all for a second. If they were to take a knee, that conversation would totally change. If tom brady took a knee, White America would be like, oh my god. What is this that tom brady is talking about . They would start doing research and join. Since it is a black guy, theyre like, here they go again. To speak on Domestic Violence, guys should be punished. If you hit a woman, you should not be playing football. I dont feel like there is any excuse for child abuse. Hip myather, i dont wit daughter. I just look at her like this. [laughter] my hands are so big, my feet are big, my body is big. I am strong. Hitting a child at this position is ridiculous. Discipline your child how you want, but things get extreme. Hitting a woman, watching the video of the ray rice, i wanted to choke ray rice. I wanted to punch him in the face. If i see those guys on my team, i have issues with those guys. Hit me. Im serious. When i see these things going on, the other thing is, Colin Kaepernick has been in the news forever and especially through the nfl outlets. These conversations about Domestic Violence, they come into the news cycle and they get out on the backend and nobody thinks about it. These conversations need to be talked about on all the platforms. Espn, they need to have actual conversations about Mental Health and what it takes to raise a man. The idea of what a man is, a gets changed when it comes to sports. Actually, being a man has nothing to do with dominating another man on a sport. Sorry, guys. Jemele its all good. I will just briefly add, it would be helpful if, before a player is in the league, or does commit an act of violence, that our Justice System to their job. Part of the reason why these guys are available to play is because on that end, something doesnt happen. We all know the Justice System sucks. Jemele im not going to get you started. We will be here all day. A round of applause for our panel. [applause] [laughter] we have a new one on one interview coming up next. . Jemele first and foremost, how dope is that jersey . Uhoh. We need a mic. Here we are. Hello. I thought we were going to twin today. That is why i wore this jersey. I thought you would wear it, too. Jemele you have to send me the memo. A lot of people may not be familiar with your background. What you explain to the audience how you got into fencing. I started fencing at 12 years old. My mom and i were driving past a local high school, and when i was growing up and playing these different sports we had to alter the uniform as a kid who was muslim and didnt wear tank tops or team shorts. I would wear spandex or a tshirt underneath, but i remember we drove past the local high school and we saw fencers, and my mom was like, i dont know what that it is but i want you to try it out. That is how i got into fencing. Jemele fencing, i think most people, its perception and reality its an elitest sport so as a muslim woman of color, how did you navigate that elitism that seems to be a part of fencing . It hasnt always been easy. I dont know if it has ever been easy. I saw from the first time as a kid when i would travel with my team that was very supportive of me being a black athlete, black fencer. When i would travel to my team within different townships in new jersey for kids who had never seen someone black on the fencing strip, that is when i noticed the difficulty. Even with referees and parents. I was aware from a pretty young age, and i think the frustration lies in that you see very little change, the older you get the further you get in the sport, and thats why i choose to speak out against the things i see. Jemele as a muslim woman, there are some nuances to how you want and need to live your life that are not necessarily conducive in the sport that you chose. You told a story before about ramadan. You were fasting, and your coachs reaction to that, what you tell everyone the story . So, im sure most of us at this point know what ramadan is but for those who dont, muslims observe a fast, 29 or 30 days we fast from sunup to sundown and we abstain from food, any liquids, water, anything. And i am often training for the last few years during ramadan, World Championships always fall during ramadan and at training camps, the National Coach would call me so stupid. What are you doing . Youre going to kill yourself. Imagine in that kind of public space to be antagonized and made to feel different but also made to feel inadequate as an athlete. He didnt see the connection, how important my faith is to me, and for me i always put my faith over my sport, but i know that abstaining from food and water it is in the mind. I know where my food is coming from and i know when he the sun goes down, i can eat again. Not everybody have that opportunity. Some people who fast dont know where their next meal is coming from and may not have access to clean water. It is not always easy. It is definitely harder when the people around you make it more difficult. Jemele did you find your experiences as a muslim athlete that was a shared experience with other muslim athletes . Were you all experiencing a lot of the same things . I dont know of any other professional muslim athletes. Not while i was competing. I know of a few who participate in the nfl, and a few that maybe we have heard of. Khabib, i dont know how to pronounce his last name. The russian mma fighter. There is a few, but for me growing up, a lot of the references i had a muslim athletes were some of the goats like muhammad ali or Kareem Abduljabbar and i know they fasted and observed ramadan and played in playoffs or had really big matches. So for me it seemed relatively easy. If these people can win championships, i can make it through the first few rounds rounds of a world championship. Jemele you had a very i wouldnt call it startling, but it was just one of those comments that you made that made me go, wow, never thought of it that way. In an interview with espn youve said the muslim experience post 9 11 and the muslim experience now are eerily similar. What makes you say that . During 9 11 i was a kid and i remember i was in high school, i was in ap english, and the rest of us watched the towers fall from a television in our classroom. I grew up 30 minutes outside of new york city. A lot of the kids in my township had parents who worked in new york city, and i had relatives who worked in new york. It hit very close to home but i grew up in a very inclusive environment, diverse town. I didnt feel what maybe other muslims would feel in that moment of isolation or this kind of bigotry that was taking us by storm in our nation, or even globally, but i would say now , especially when i qualified for the olympics, it was the height of the president ial election. It has become commonplace to think of Muslim Community in a way thats often dark and negative. Ive always felt like my journey in sport and qualifying for an olympic team during this time, its always meant to happen that way because it forced people to rethink the narrative that were all so used to. People turn on the television and think its okay to watch programs that depict muslims as terrorists. To think that all muslim women are arab or are opressed or uneducated or forced to cover by some man. American by birth. Im africanamerican, i only speak english. Im educated, super verbal. Im going to tell you exactly how i feel and i won an olympic medal for my country so im everything that you think im not. [applause] i feel like this is an opportunity for me to tell my story. It is one of my american identity, my africanamerican identity, my muslim identity, my female identity my jersey , identity and all the things and i have the opportunity to tell my story not just for me but for everybody who is made to feel they dont belong. Its frustrating, and im sure you feel the same, when you walk in the room and different stereotypes proceed you. I know that for me ive struggled with that, especially as an athlete. You essentially just want to play. You just want to go out there and win. You dont want people to try to label you before you even start the game. Jemele a reminder you can go to slideo. Com if you have any questions and we already have one. How much attention did you get for wearing a hijab and did you expect all the attention and did you enjoy it . The spotlight isnt really my thing, but i think its important for us to knowledge first, it is problematic when a sport like fencing is just i know that for me, without the support of a nonprofit i would not have had the career i have been sports. So when i hear, you get attention because i wear a he job, i got attention because i want an olympic medal. Lets be very clear. [applause] but i think its important to celebrate. Why not . One thing people never talk about is that i am also the first woman of color to represent the United States team. Peoplets lost because identify me as wearing a he job wearing a hijab. But its actually because im a woman of color. I dont want people to celebrate me, i want people to celebrate we have this moment of inclusion and diversity within the sport, but also hopefully it opens our eyes, especially for our youth to see themselves in this space. It is hard to never see representation and to visualize that happening for you. And for me, i know it would have been easier had i had someone who looked like me in the space. It is easier for young kids of color coming up now, because they can unconsciously draft of the respirations, grasp their aspirations. They know it is possible, and for some of us that wasnt the case. What was the challenging thing you had to overcome . Just a block out all the noise. It can be easy to get caught up in things you cant control. Lives have people in our who come dressed as friends and pretend to support us but are haters. They are not there to hype you, they are there to break you down, to not support your abilities and strengths and not help you identify you are gifted and you can accomplish whatever it is you put your mind to, so many of us wait around for people in our lives to give us permission to trace down what we want im fortunate in that arrived at this notion early on that i dont need people come i dont need other people. For a long time i was waiting for people to support me. I was that kid that had my hand up first in class. I wanted na all the time. I wanted to be good in the classroom, to be good on the field and that is not always the most popular thing. I was bullied as a kid relentlessly. It was tough, but i think having those moments shaped me into who i am today. I really dont care what people think. What ie to chase down want, whether you like it or not. I dont need permission. We all need that for ourselves. So many of us say, im too old to chase down what i want, im not smart enough, im not bright enough to chase down what i want. I always say, why do you need other people to tell you what you can do . Why do you need permission . You have to give that permission to yourself question give that permission to yourself. There is that old phrase, not everybody in your circle is in your corner. Has it been worth it . Repercussions . I dont know. I kind of phased out of sport a bit. I only fenced for a year after the Olympic Games erie die did one more year and took a break to write my book and kind of never went back. So even if i had people who werent happy with the book, nobody ever approached me about it. Maybe they are afraid of me, but nobody ever said anything to me about it. When you are telling the truth, what can you say . In my book i documented difficult the journey was as a muslim, as a black woman coming up three very white sports, and days fort that, its very much intentional to keep it that way so, to document that and tell that story, it makes people uncomfortable, but what are you going to do if it is true . Im shining a light on something i think its a problem and hopefully it will change. When you acknowledge something, hopefully people Going Forward will change. Jemele you said you wont compete in tokyo in 2020. What went into that decision . Decision ive ever made. I talked to others and said, how do you arrive at this decision when you retire from sport . Nobody has a definitive answer. You pray you are making the right decision. I dont know if i will ever be 100 on it, but i feel like my impact in sport is so much greater than fencing. But i think fencing was a vehicle for me. Impacting thebout world in a way that is positive being an agent of change. , fencing hasencing always just been a vehicle for me. It doesnt have to be on the strip. I can do so off the fencing strip as well. How can young people in southeast d. C. Get involved in fencing, and just in general . Google. That is what i would do. [laughter] im not from here, but i would google it. This is forever ago, but when i was a kid and we saw the sport, my parents didnt know what it was on we went on google. It might have been aol at the time, but that is how we found it. I would say just google it. There are so many different fencing hotspots around the country, washington, new york, san francisco, texas, so many places you can find the sport. Made you choose sabre over epi or foil . There are three different fencing weapons. The difference is the target area and the weapon. I you hit with the point, and foil it is the pi it is the whole body and with a saber use a slashing motion. So we are like zorro. Im your bodyguard tonight we are also the sprinters of the sport. High school team needed to sabre fencer and that is why i switched. Jemele shout out to the fencing person who asked that. Whoever you are, thank you. Now you all know. Lot of there are a athletes, young people want to get involved and share their stories and want to do what you have been able to do, to turn story into testimony. What advice do you have, they want to turn their story into beyond the story into something beyond a story . Youre following is what you make it. You dont have to have millions of followers to reach people. You can have a few and you can reach people. It is all about trying to impact people in a positive way and try to be an agent of change. It is really important to me that i use sport in a way that changes peoples lives. Byave been able to do so finding my footing and activism. I feel real strongly about athletes using their platforms for good. I encourage everybody to do the same. You dont have to be a professional athlete to use your voice. Of thelike we all responsibility to speak up, especially in this moment because things are very difficult. Even if it is not for you, it is for your neighbors, your friends, people who dont look like you and share the same experience. So it is important for all of us to find our footing and activism. Jemele whatever your way is of expressing something you are passionate about, just do that. It could be bringing meals to senior citizens. It could be a number of Little Things you could do to change somebodys life. I think that concludes the talking abortion the talking portion of this panel. So thank you, and thank you for all your attention and your questions and for staying engaged. Thank you. [applause] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] athletes using your platforms , thank you so much. That is a wrap. How inspiring these athletes are off the court and on the stage, talking with passion and power about what they believe in. Hill is our champion for carrying this afternoon of conversation. I want to thank our speakers and give a giant shout out to the washington mystics for making this afternoon possible. I want to thank all of you for being here today. Your time is valuable and we are grateful you gave so much of it to us. I hope you leave here with lots of new things to consider. One program note read our celebration of the washington mystics inaugural season here at the entertainment and warts arena, they are teaming up with events and d. C. To host a Pregame Party this saturday. It is free, open to all fans, and the party will take place outside the arena on oak washington, cspans washington journal. Coming up, we discussed the recent release of american telegram and isis sympathizer John Walker Lynn and the potential release of others like him. Then, coauthor of the meanest man in Congress Talks about the legacy of congressman jack burke. Be sure to watch cspans washington journal live at 7 a. M. Eastern sunday morning. Join the discussion. When i see Something Like that, i can only see it from her perspective. I have had a lot people pray for me similarly. And as a christian, i believe it has a long tradition of divine healing. I certainly do not think it is not possible for god to heal people. Sunday sunday, i do professor talks about her memoir. Reflecting on being diagnosed with stage iv colon cancer at the age of 35. Is really gone. There is no pain in your stomach, right . But you can see how quickly he moved from praying for her moving as a vessel of god, and then his confidence in himself as that vehicle. End of the idea that because she did not have pain, she is definitely healed. And his very dramatic approach to faith healing is one i often found to be somewhat. Q a, sunday night, at 8 00 eastern on cspan. Cspan has spoken with over 50 freshman lawmakers this congress. We recently spoke with two new female lawmakers. First up, susan wild, a democrat from pennsylvania who represents the seventh district. She previously served as a