The Path to Progress

Sherryta Freeman, director of Athletics

Lafayette Athletics is dedicated to developing informed, educated, and aware student-athletes, coaches, and staff members to ensure a culture supportive of diversity and inclusion at the College. “Throughout our recent conversations, we consistently heard a desire to learn from each other and to keep the dialogue going,” says Sherryta Freeman, director of Athletics. “We plan to do just that and more.” To that end, Freeman is leading the Athletics community in taking action that will produce progress. Here are five specific areas and a few of the specific actions they are focused on.

Members of Lafayette Athletics in new College-branded Black Lives Matter shirts (left to right): Nicole Johnson ’22 (women’s basketball), Jessica Booth ’23 (women’s basketball), Makaila Wilson ’22 (women’s basketball), Malik Hamm ’22 (football), .

EDUCATION: Educate our community on issues of racism, diversity, and inclusion; provide mandatory multicultural training and educational seminars

REPRESENTATION: Increase diversity on teams and staffs, including a diverse pool of candidates and a diverse hiring committee; enhance diversity and representation within alumni groups; form the Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Committee to propel voices of underrepresented student-athletes

AWARENESS: Promote support of the Black Lives Matter movement at competitions; reserve Election Day as a day off for student-athletes to engage in the voting process, work within the community to promote voter participation; bring awareness to campus policies that are contradictory to diversity and inclusion

SUPPORT AND PROGRAMMING: Support the Athletes of Color organization; designate an NCAA Diversity Coordinator; commit to serving community youth programs that focus on underrepresented groups; actively engage with the Patriot League Anti-Racism Commission

RESOURCES AND PLEDGES: Develop an inclusion statement; create an avenue for student-athlete to submit feedback/experiences for review by Athletics leadership; maintain race, diversity, and inclusion resources to share with members of our community