Students & Sports
POSTPONED
Thank you very much for your continued support!
However, I am sad to announce that I have made the decision to postpone the event to a later date. With the 4 AP classes that I'm taking this semester and my college applications due on November 1st, I simply do not have enough time to dedicate what is needed for this very important discussion.
I am looking forward to working together in the future and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. Please sign up for our newsletter for further updates, we will be announcing a make-up date for this event.
Thank you for understanding.
Kind regards,
Skye Jackson
Join us for a national discussion surrounding the experiences and challenges of Black student athletes. Often, student athletes are pushed to focus on sports first and education second, jeopardizing their chances to graduate.Further, our athletes are encouraged to remain neutral on issues of social justice. However, we don't want our students to just "shut up and dribble, run, or catch."
We will provide a safe space for student athletes to bring to light the unfair expectations they face in high school athletics and beyond, while also providing tangible solutions for students, coaches, parents and athletic directors.
Co-hosts, moderators, and panelists
Al Sharpton: Co-host + Moderator
The Rev. Al Sharpton is an internationally renowned civil rights leader; founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN); host of nationally syndicated daily and weekly radio shows and “Politics Nation” on MSNBC; and, he makes regular guest appearances on cable news television. He has authored three books and received numerous awards for achievements in advancing civil rights causes around the world.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is an internationally renowned civil rights leader; founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN); host of nationally syndicated daily and weekly radio shows and “Politics Nation” on MSNBC; and, he makes regular guest appearances on cable news television. He has authored three books and received numerous awards for achievements in advancing civil rights causes around the world.
Dr. Richard Lapchick: Panelist
Dr. Lapchick is a human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, internationally recognized expert on sports issues, scholar and author who is often described as “the racial conscience of sport.” He is the Endowed Chair and Director of the DeVos Sport Business Management program at the University of Central Florida and became the only person named as “One of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sport” to head up a sport management program. Dr. Lapchick is also the CEO of the Institute for Sport & Social Justice (ISSJ) and Director of The Institute for Diversity & Ethics in Sport.
Skye Jackson: Moderator and NBSA Creator
Skye Jackson is one of three students who helped spur the “Black At” Instagram movement at their high schools. Through this work she quickly realized the need for a space on a national level where Black students and allies could share stories, learn from national Black leaders, and create positive change for Black students on school campuses across the U.S. In August 2020, the National Black Student Alliance was launched.
Steve Kerr: Panelist
Steve Kerr is the head coach of San Francisco's NBA team, Golden State Warriors, as well as a former NBA player. He is an eight-time NBA champion, having won five titles as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, as well as three with the Warriors as head coach. He engineered the most successful campaign of any first-year coach in NBA history in 2014-15, culminating in the Warriors winning the fourth NBA Championship in franchise history and the first in 40 years. He currently has the highest career three-point field goal percentage (45.4%) in NBA history for any player, with at least 250 three-pointers made.
Isiah Thomas: Panelist
Isiah Thomas is an American former professional basketball player, coach and executive who is an analyst for NBA on TNT. He played his entire professional career for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. He was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the 1981 Final Four and the Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1980 and a 12-time NBA All-Star. As of 2020, Thomas also remains the Pistons' all-time career leader in minutes played, points scored, steals, and assists. After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks, and the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers.
Black Students Forum on Racism and Education
National Black leaders and high school and college students from across the country will led virtual discussions on how to foster and promote safe and productive school environments for Black students.
Forum Recording
Speakers in order of appearance: Skye Jackson, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., Dr. Mary Francis Berry, Lourdes Russell, Roysworth Grant III, Amy John-Terry, Eddie Glaude, Mylon Patton, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Kyndall Donaldson, Jared Young, Mehrsa Baradaran, Angela Rye, and Marcia Dyson.
Expert Panelists
Dr. Mary Francis Berry
American historian, writer, lawyer, activist, and professor who focuses on U.S. constitutional and legal, African-American history. Former chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University. Contributing author for the New York Times, political analyst for MSNBC, and contributing editor at the New Republic and ESPN’s The Undefeated. Author of over 20 books, including "Come Hell or High Water;" NAACP Image Award-winners "Is Bill Cosby Right?" and "Why I Love Black Women;" and, "Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X," which was named one of the most important African American books of the 20th century and "Notable Book of the year" by the New York Times.
Mehrsa Baradaran
Law professor specializing in banking law at the University of California, Irvine. Author of How the Other Half Banks and The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap, both published by the Harvard University Press.
Eddie Glaude
William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies. Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University.
Angela Rye
CEO of IMPACT Strategies, a political advocacy firm in the nation’s capital. CNN Political Commentator and NPR Political Analyst. Featured in Marie Claire, Ebony, and the Washington Post. Board member of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee (CBC PAC), the Seattle University School of Law Alumni, Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network, Inclusive, and Wilberforce University.
Student Panelists
Skye Jackson
‘21 Episcopal High School
“I encourage others to join the forum because as Black students and allies, we all deserve a community to support us in these unprecedented times. We have to work together to create lasting change, and know that you are not alone.”
Lourdes Russell
‘21 High School in Bethesda, Maryland
“I want to help bring light to the experiences of Black students at predominantly white institutions and to show the world that we are banding together to make change in our communities that is long overdue. We are stronger when we come together.”
Amy John-Terry
‘21 Episcopal High School
“Connections are what create change. So let's work together to build a community and improve our conditions. Let's continue to highlight our experiences at predominately white institutions on a national level.”
Roysworth Grant
‘21 Brown University
“I’m participating in this forum due to my passion for institutional change at my former boarding school (Episcopal High School) so that it is an ideal place for all students. Others should join this discussion in order to learn how to best combat, overcome, and institutionally change the issues that many Black people face at predominantly white institutions."
Kyndall Donaldson
‘23 Yale
“This forum is extremely important because it is crucial that Black students are able to share their experiences in predominately white spaces, especially amongst their peers. If we truly want to work towards being anti-racist individuals and creating anti-racist environments, we must acknowledge actions and conditions that have harmed Black people.”
Mylon Patton
‘22 University of Chicago
"I recognize the importance of this moment, and I believe in the power of dialogue and organizing as important steps to systemic change. We're stronger together, and the work ahead of us will require commitment from all of us."
Jared Young
‘21 Princeton
"It is essential that all people of all kinds tune into this program - an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."