Photo courtesy of the Athletes of Color Coalition.
This fall marked the launch of Connecticut College’s Athletes of Color Coalition, a group of athletes of color from across the campus that come together to share their experiences of being a minority in athletics at Conn.
Late last spring, all NESCAC schools came to the consensus that each athletic program should have a similar coalition. In the wake of the George Floyd’s murder and the countless protests that followed, Conn created their first Athletes of Color Coalition, where athletes of color have a safe space to talk about their experiences. The leader of the Coalition, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Jackie Smith, explained how she was approached last year about forming this group.
“Giving them [athletes of color] a space where they can share those experiences is really really important” as athletes of color “really do have a different experience… than that of their white peers,” stated Smith. Though the coalition is new at Conn, there are already 25 new members with more joining daily.
For Stephania Lopez ‘21, a senior on the women’s water polo team, this has been a long time coming. After attending a leadership conference for BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color) athletes hosted by the NESCAC in the spring of 2019, Lopez saw initiatives that other colleges were doing and wanted to be a part of it.
“I felt like there wasn’t really a space for BIPOC student athletes,” Lopez said. She is excited “to be a part of something that would allow [her] to have those conversations and relate to peers at Conn.”
As stated in their introduction email, the goals of the Coalition “are to serve as a support system for our student athletes of color and provide a safe place to share experiences and thoughts, work with athletic administration to develop a plan to diversify the Connecticut College athletic program and enhance the athletic experience of student-athletes of color, and research local organizations that would benefit from our support – think globally but act locally!”
Smith shared her excitement regarding the existing members of the coalition, as “they are super determined, very well organized [and] very supportive of one another.” Smith explained that due to the fact that the group is so new, the current goal is to get themselves organized and “create an infrastructure.”
Additionally, they are looking forward to working with the New London community as Smith continuously stressed the importance of working on a local level. Though this year is mainly focused on building the coalition, Lopez looks forward to potential initiatives, such as a “mentorship program between first years and seniors and upperclassmen.”
While NESCAC sports are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Conn students are using this time as an opportunity to build on the foundational aspects of good sportsmanship and integrity. Overall, Smith believes that the end goal of this coalition is to “increase diversity on campus” as members of the coalition “want to see more of themselves in their teams, in their coaches, [and] in their staff.” Looking forward, Smith believes that “a collaboration with our white peers is going to be the most successful” in making Connecticut College as a whole into a safe space. Lopez also wants “a shift in our culture within athletics and to see those numbers change.” In 2015, the American Psychology Association came out with research stating that “increasing the representation of distinct racial groups improves intellectual and academic performance for both minority and non-minority students.” What this proves is that diversity in teams, coaches, and staff will not only improve Conn for BIPOC students, but all students. The work being done by the Coalition is unequivocally valuable to every member of the Conn community.
Students interested in learning more about and/or joining Connecticut College’s Athletes of Color Coalition – should contact Coach Jackie Smith at jsmith@conncoll.edu
