BIG EAST Announces “Be The Change” Platform For Social Justice
BIG EAST Conference Press Release
NEW YORK — The BIG EAST Conference has announced the launch of BE the Change, a conference-wide advocacy platform that will enable BIG EAST stakeholders to engage on a wide range of contemporary racial and social justice issues.
The platform is an outgrowth of the work of the conference’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group, which was formed in 2019 to promote diversity, gender equity and inclusive practices within the BIG EAST community and to create a strategic roadmap for BIG EAST member schools as they build on DE&I efforts already underway on their campuses.
As part of a broader campaign representing A Call to Action on Anti-Racism and Social Justice, BE the Change is designed to surface strategies and ideas to combat racial inequality in all of its forms. The platform will complement and enhance the conference’s three existing DE&I strategic priorities: hiring, education and awareness.
“The BIG EAST is committed to using our visibility to help disrupt the systems of racism, discrimination and oppression that continue to permeate American society,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. “We believe that dialogue, however difficult, is a necessary first step as we strive to dismantle stereotypes, foster respect and develop leaders and allies who will inspire action and change in our communities and our nation.”
As part of the Call to Action, the conference has created Conversations for Change, an educational series that allows BIG EAST student-athletes, coaches and administrators to share their perspectives and personal experiences about topics related to race and social justice. During the month of June, Conservations for Change included interviews with Georgetown Director of Athletics Lee Reed, St. John’s head men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson and Butler head men’s basketball coach LaVall Jordan. On Juneteenth, interviews were conducted with Marquette women’s basketball student-athlete Camryn Taylor and Villanova men’s basketball student-athlete Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree. Pertinent films, books and other multimedia content will be used to provide context for future Conversations for Change. A playlist of Conversations for Change videos can be found on the conference’s YouTube page here.
Additional BE the Change programming will be offered throughout the 2020-21 academic year, including around civic engagement, voter registration and Election Day 2020.
