Racism in sports has a long history of silencing, white privilege, and racist tactics used to oppress Black people who strive to dismantle the crooked systems built to discourage our efforts in speaking out.
As seen with Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protests and Milwaukee Buck’s recent strike, sports and reality do not exist in separate worlds and players are looking for the support they need to exercise their legal rights as Black Americans.
In an effort to create safe spaces for Black individuals in sports, a newly-established non-profit organization called Advancement of Blacks in Sports, Inc. has been founded to advocate for racial, social, and economic justice for Black people in sports.
According to a press release, founder Gary Charles has leveraged his relationships with high-profile figures such as civil rights attorney Ben Crump, former NBA player Tracy McGrady, Chuck D. of Public Enemy, and many more to rally behind the launch of this organization.
Since the tragic death of George Floyd, Charles has set out to partner with these notable celebrities in sports, music, law, and business to encourage the “normalization of equal rights and fair treatment of Black people.”
“ABIS seeks equal rights and fair treatment of Black people by examining current institutional policies and practices in an effort to promote racial, social, and economic justice,” the website states.
According to the organization’s website, some key factors to their plan of action include economic sustainability, education, grassroots & community outreach, racial equity research, student-athletes, and voting and civic engagement.
The nonprofit currently integrates across all, but not limited to, sports like basketball, track and field, baseball, and football, according to a press release, with plans to expand further as well.
Charles says ABIS is now focusing its efforts on the development and holistic growth of the intercollegiate athlete and the recent federal and state legislation from the NCAA that impacts academic and athletic experiences for student-athletes.
For more information on the Advancement of Blacks in Sports, visit their website.
