Each year, Nebraska Athletics hosts a Diversity and Inclusion Summit for both student-athletes and staff to attend. The 2020 Summit impacted nearly 1000 people in 2 days and served as a timely reminder of what it takes to build and maintain an inclusive environment in Nebraska athletics and beyond. Nebraska Athletics welcomed nationally recognized speaker Justin Jones Fosu to campus to discuss his philosophy of "Embracing Everyday Diversity; Moving from Head to Heart."
Men's Track and Field student-athlete, Sadio Fenner kicked off the student-athlete summit by sharing his story about being negatively stereotyped during a previous educational experience. He spoke about how he rose above the judgment and stereotypes placed upon him to complete the International Baccalaureate program, the only black male at his high school to do so. Director of Recruiting Operations for Women's Basketball, Katie Adams, shared her story as a member of the 2007 Rutgers women's basketball team to begin the staff summit programming. Adams and the Rutgers team reached the NCAA championship, but received harsh racial and derogatory comments following the game. Adams emphasized how this experience impacted her team and how it molded her view on inclusion and exclusion.
Fosu followed the student-athlete and staff member testimonies by sharing his philosophy of embracing everyday difference. The focus on his presentation centered on that understanding that diversity is simply put: difference. Often, people view diversity only through the larger constructs of sexuality, race, or gender. Fosu encouraged attendees to recognize that until one can realize diversity is simply any type of differences that impacts every one of us, creating change at a larger level will be more challenging.
Throughout the program, Fosu challenged staff members and athletes to get outside of their comfort zone and be vulnerable enough to show when they were excluded with a "Get up, Stand up" activity. Fosu continuously challenged the staff and students to be more "inviting" instead of "welcoming". He argued that this simple change of behavior, paired with seeking to be more interested in others than being interesting to others, can make a huge impact.
Another key example discussed by Fosu was the "right hand paradigm". Through this discussion, he explained how learning that he was right handed in a right handed world served as an analogy for not recognizing the privileges you have, when others might be facing difficulties with the same thing. He urged the audience to use their "right handedness" to benefit others who do not hold those same privileges. Wrapping up the Summit, both student-athletes and staff were encouraged to embrace everyday differences in an effort to create a more inclusive culture within their teams, the athletic department, and their personal lives.
Numerous athletic staff members and coaches were impressed with Justin's energy, as well as his challenging content. One staff member mentioned, "It was a very good presentation and Justin is a very good speaker. Not only did he have theoretical over-arching knowledge, but he added practical strategies/challenges to apply the information that was presented."
For Diversity and Inclusion Director DaWon Baker, the 2020 Summit was another step in the right direction for athletics and all of campus. "The Summit proved to be a success this year, and will help propel us into an impactful, intentional 2020 for our diversity and inclusion programming. I believe this Summit captures how impactful an inclusive environment can be for all involved. The 2020 Summit was our 5th annual summit, and many believed that the summit was one of the best we've ever had. I am excited for our future as a department as we continue to strive for inclusive excellence," shared Baker.
Following the Summit, Nebraska Athletics will launch a new Husker Inclusion Council. Diversity and Inclusion Director DaWon Baker created the Council after serving on the Council on Inclusive Excellence and Diversity in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Baker commented, "Dr. Nkenge Friday and Dr. Marco Barker challenged the members to take a deep dive at our respective areas and the strategic plan for diversity and inclusion." Numerous athletics staff members and coaches have expressed interest in serving the department and helping build a more inclusive environment for Husker staff, this serves as an opportunity to build a department wide council to help our entire staff and student-athletes."
The council will meet monthly, starting in the Spring of 2020, to discuss programming, policy, and education and learning opportunities for diversity and inclusion within Athletics, the university, and the Lincoln community. The council will proceed with the following objectives:
1. Create an internal diversity and inclusion council, which provides the opportunity for more Athletics staff to be involved in D & I efforts;
2. Develop an Athletics-based diversity and inclusion strategic plan;
3. Create pathways for every department within Athletics to engage with the diversity and inclusion strategic plan; and,
4. Streamline diversity and inclusion programming, policies and opportunities by linking them to a department-wide council.
The impact of the summit will stretch much farther than the Summit alone.
If you have any questions about the Diversity and Inclusion Summit or Husker Inclusion Council, please contact DaWon Baker.
Justin Jones Fosu reflects on the Get up Stand up activity at the 5th annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit.