TicketsThe next Athlete Ally Athlete Activism Summit is June 27-30, 2024 in Louisville, KY. If you are interested in attending, please contact Chad Allen in the Academy. For more information visit https://give.athleteally.org/event/2024-athlete-ally-activism-summit/e544626 and read Jodie Pierce’s account of her attendance in 2022.
I had the honor to represent UC at the Athlete Leadership Summit hosted by Adidas and Athlete Ally this past summer. I had an incredible time, and more importantly, met some of the most inspiring student athletes from around the country. The conference focused on expanding diversity and inclusion of student athletes, particularly those who identify as LQBTQ+, trans, and/or nonbinary. We had open, beautiful discussions on our privileges and disadvantages, and then attended workshops on how to create safe, supportive spaces for all student athletes. We had the pleasure of having intimate conversations with keynote speakers such as WNBA star Layshia Clarendon. I left the summit feeling incredibly empowered, knowing I - and we, as an athletic institution- have the love and support from a community of athletes I hadn’t previously known existed. Change is never easy, especially in a world as divided as ours, but I must believe that if any group can be empowered to uplift one another- regardless of sexual orientation or preference- it can be student athletes. College athletes have what it takes: we are old enough to know what is right, young enough to be abundantly energetic, and we have the platform to create real change across communities. I’m so grateful to my university for giving me the opportunity to attend this summit, and I hope they remember that this is the beginning, not the end, of the journey to socially just athletics.
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Jodie Pierce, Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field
2022 Athlete Leadership SummitI had the honor to represent UC at the Athlete Leadership Summit hosted by Adidas and Athlete Ally this past summer. I had an incredible time, and more importantly, met some of the most inspiring student athletes from around the country. The conference focused on expanding diversity and inclusion of student athletes, particularly those who identify as LQBTQ+, trans, and/or nonbinary. We had open, beautiful discussions on our privileges and disadvantages, and then attended workshops on how to create safe, supportive spaces for all student athletes. We had the pleasure of having intimate conversations with keynote speakers such as WNBA star Layshia Clarendon. I left the summit feeling incredibly empowered, knowing I - and we, as an athletic institution- have the love and support from a community of athletes I hadn’t previously known existed. Change is never easy, especially in a world as divided as ours, but I must believe that if any group can be empowered to uplift one another- regardless of sexual orientation or preference- it can be student athletes. College athletes have what it takes: we are old enough to know what is right, young enough to be abundantly energetic, and we have the platform to create real change across communities. I’m so grateful to my university for giving me the opportunity to attend this summit, and I hope they remember that this is the beginning, not the end, of the journey to socially just athletics.