Statement of Solidarity

In light of recent events, Women’s Club Basketball would like to express its solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We condemn the ongoing racism that threatens people just because of the color of their skin. Basketball and other team sports have the power to unite people from all different backgrounds and cultures. We believe it is necessary to be a team player at all times. Part of being a team player is standing up for one another, both on and off the court. We hope to foster a supportive and welcoming community for anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort.

We will also work to promote a safe and comfortable environment for people of all backgrounds. No one should ever feel unwelcome doing something they love. More than ever, a team-oriented mindset is necessary. Together, we must support one another, fight and work together in pursuit of growth and community.

We also think it is important to learn about the role of race within basketball and the contributions that Black players have made to basketball. Even though basketball today is enjoyed and played by a diverse range of individuals, the sport has been historically marred by segregation. Until the 1950s, no black players were allowed to play in the National Basketball Association. The sport has come a long way since its racist past thanks to the bravery of Early Lloyd, Nat Clifton, and Chuck Cooper who paved the way for inclusivity. Because of them, we have grown up marveling at the basketball wizardry displayed by Michael Jordan, Maya Moore, Kobe Bryant, Tamika Catchings, Sheryl Swoopes and LeBron James.

There is still more progress to be made for racial equality within basketball. At the professional level, efforts to promote equity at the executive level in the NBA have been undertaken, changing words such as “owner” to more neutral terms and working for greater diversity within executive positions. Our team is committed to continuing to educate ourselves about ways in which a legacy of racism still exists within the sport we all love to play.

We are committed to battling all forms of racism, and we will continue to uphold an inclusive and welcoming environment to all players. We encourage you to explore the resources listed below. Together, we can make a difference.

All the best,

Women’s Club Basketball

Resources:

- Is Slavery’s Legacy in the Power Dynamics of Sports? 

- Basketball’s battle for racial equality

- NBA Players and Coaches Plead As Loud As Ever Against Racial Injustice

- Kentucky Sport's Men's Basketball Article

- The Black-Versus-White Basketball Game That Integrated the Sport 

- "March Madness and college basketball’s racial bias problem"

- “The Last Dance” - a documentary series centered around Michael Jordan’s life and career. (Also on Netflix)

- “Nine for IX” - an ESPN documentary series commemorating the 40th anniversary of Title IX, featuring accomplished women in sports, including Sheryl Swoopes, the first player to be signed in the WNBA and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. (Also on YouTube TV)

Take Action

Donate!

• Know Your Rights Camp : founded by Colin Kaepernick, educational camps for black and brown youth throughout the country
• I Run With Maud: promoting racial justice in memory of Ahmaud Arbery, who was murdered while going on a run

The Princeton University Figure Skating Club pledges to continue advocating and fighting for justice and equality. In working to meet this pledge, we want to hear from you. Please reach out with any suggestions you have in how we can further prioritize inclusion and fighting for equality into our team and our communities. Black Lives Matter. Today and every day. Link to resources: http://shorturl.at/aivIM

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Along with our vocal support, we are starting a fundraiser for the Loveland Foundation, a Black-owned organization focused on healing communities by providing funds for therapy to communities of color, with a particular focus on Black women and girls, and we hope you can help us reach our goal of $3000. Please see the link in our bio to donate.
Join us in our commitment to taking action. Whether it’s through direct action on the front lines, coordinating care, calling legislators, signing petitions and/or donating, we all have a responsibility to uphold. Join us in our fight for transformative justice — for a world that values and honors Black lives.
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The $3000 goal has been reached, so we have upped our goal to $5000! Thank you so much to those who have already donated!

Please use the link in our bio (which includes resources compiled by the womxn’s team @princetonclockwork, as well as their own statement) to find the donation page, along with materials that have helped us better educate ourselves. We urge you to donate if you are able and to share these resources widely.

We’d also like to give a big thank you to @princetonclockwork for their incredibly helpful notes and ideas in regards to this statement...we couldn’t have done it without them!

Courtesy of Techne, here are eight black-owned soccer businesses we can support! Go check them out ⚽️?? ... 1. Live Breathe Futbol (LBF) is an independent soccer company that celebrates the beautiful game. Shop premium apparel for life on and off the pitch. 2. Salmon Soccer is an elite training program for players in the NYC/Long Island area, founded in 2015 by former collegiate and U.S. Youth National player Yannick Salmon. 3. ONYX ELITE is a personal performance facility in Richmond, VA, founded in 2014 by U.S. soccer star Oguchi Onyewu. ONYX offers in-person, online, and camp training experiences. 4. Futbolr is a lifestyle brand that reflects the passion for the beautiful game of soccer. Shop casual men, women, kids, apparel. Interviews, Blogs, MLS, EPL. 5. E.J. Futball Training provides dedicated, experienced one-on-one, group and team soccer coaching for North King County youth in Seattle, WA. 6. Pro Elite Training is an elite level training company in NJ where the player is always #1. 7. Eddie Johnson is a former US Men's National Team, World Cup, EPL and MLS All-Star who leads individual and small group sessions in Orlando, FL. 8. Golden Touch Soccer Academy is a premier youth soccer organization located in New Rochelle, NY and founded by World Cup & MLS star Edson Buddle and Winston Buddle.

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Princeton Rugby stands strongly with the Black Community against racism and inequality. We have teamed up with the Rugby Programs at Penn, Dartmouth, Brown, Yale, and Harvard to raise funds and awareness.
Over the next week, Princeton Rugby Players will be running to help Ivy Rugby achieve their goal of running 846 miles in representation of the 8 minutes and 46 seconds that Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, killing him.

This running will be done in tandem with an Ivy Rugby Fundraiser, which will be conducted through a GoFundMe Campaign. We have attached a link to the GoFundMe Page at the bottom of this post, and it will be linked in our bio. It includes links to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), the Black Lives Matter Foundation, and the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). As per Ivy Rugby instructions “once you have completed a donation, please send a screenshot through the GoFundMe contact option at the bottom of the page so we can log your donation here.” You can find templates for your own personal stories to raise awareness under the "846" highlight on our page.

We will be posting mileage on our story every day, so stay tuned!
Help us exceed our goals here! You all have helped us go above our fundraising goals for our Bike to Oxford, our Hike to Haiti Project, and our efforts for COVID Relief. We want to do more. We want to use this platform to do the most we can.
The team as individuals has also decided to donate the remainder of our social funds to the Equal Justice Initiative, the Legal Defense Fund, and Black Owned Businesses damaged in the past weeks.

Please let us know what else you think Princeton Rugby can do and how we can use our platform to assist in the fight against the perpetuation of racism in America as well as in the sport of rugby. Always forward. #bettertogether

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