This post was written by guest contributor, Angela P. Shenk
Angela is an artist, attorney and devoted Penguins fan living Connecticut. One of her favorite and most inspiring hockey experiences is sharing her love of hockey with the Miller Elementary students at the 2019 BGHC meetup in P’burgh. Angela spreads the ‘gospel’ of BGHC wherever she goes and assists the organization with virtual meetups and blog posts.
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Renee Hess, Founder and Executive Director of the Black Girl Hockey Club, community organizer, and writer, joined Shireen Ahmed, Kim Davis, and Megan McPeak, for the Diversity in Leadership panel event on August 26, 2020. Shireen Ahmed is an award-winning activist and writer. Kim Davis is the Senior Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives, and Legislative Affairs at the NHL. Megan McPeak is a Play-by-Play Announcer for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. The partnership of She’s 4 Sports, Canadian Women & Sport, and Sport Canada hosted this important anti-racism conversation as a part of the We Are Sport digital series.
The four panelists discussed past and present anti-black racism in sports. They also presented strategies and actionable steps to build a sustainable culture of meaningful inclusion throughout the sports industry.
Ms. Hess discussed the idea of anyone who is involved in sports, be they a fan, athlete, executive, or a part of the sports media, has the power and ability to use her platform to speak out against anti-black racism and amplify the various voices of the BIPOC community. Ms. Hess also advocated the use of our power to uplift and to make true impacts on the traditional sports industry that has diminished and ignored BIPOC issues and voices. She stated. “We are stronger together.”
This is a poignant and thought-provoking conversation about the inclusion and the future of leadership diversity in the sports industry. Watch a replay of the panel below and be sure to share with friends, activists, and sports fans around the world.
I was very encouraged to see the NHL stand by the NBA and other sports teams by boycotting their playoff games in support of BLM and the tragic death in Wisconsin the past week.