Amid the focus on Black Lives Matters and racial injustice, HSU is bringing timely social justice education to athletics and recreational sports students and staff.

 Humboldt State University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports, Jane Teixeira, has announced a partnership with Jen Fry, owner and CEO of social justice education firm Jen Fry Talks.

 “I am so excited to work with the administrators, coaches, and staff within Humboldt State University Athletics,” said Fry. “This is an important time within collegiate athletics to not only change the way we care for our student-athletes, but also, look at the ways we can develop an anti-racist culture and change the policies and procedures that could disproportionately affect student-athletes of color. This work is tough, but I know the department looks forward to gaining more clarity on how to be anti-racist.”

Fry will host six virtual sessions, covering topics such as implicit bias and cultural appropriation, throughout the 2020-21 academic year for Athletics and Recreational Sports staff and University Administration. The first session started today. 

These sessions are one of several efforts to support diversity, equity, and inclusion education, including HSU’s annual Campus/Community Dialogue on Race (CDOR), a week of intensive conversation about the impact of racism and its intersections with all forms of oppression, and the annual Social Justice summit. The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, which focuses on making systemic changes, hosts workshops and provides resources, as well.

 Teixeira says the partnership can help enact tangible changes through awareness and reflection on diversity and inclusion issues.  “We are in a moment in time where education and action go hand in hand,” she says. ”It is important that we as a joint department analyze and assess our own ideology and thoughts for a better understanding of each other as people. We have to communicate and respond to the social and systemic challenges our students, student-athletes, University, and community faces.”

 The Department will work closely with Fry to address diversity and inclusion education, the effects of implicit bias and strategic goals of the department. Fry will help to further develop best practices and enhance support for HSU student-athletes, staff and coaches.

 “I thought that this session went really well. I thoroughly enjoy being able to be in a safe place to discuss these topics (race, disparities, etc.), as well as being able to learn new or revised definitions about terms such as race and socialization; to me this was a big game changer,” said Rachel Mack, President of Humboldt State’s Fencing Club.  “I’m excited to continue to learn throughout the year and I really admire that HSU and sports clubs are doing trainings like this.”

 Fry, a veteran coach with over 15 years of experience at the collegiate level, has conducted workshops with many prominent NCAA athletic departments such as UCLA, Syracuse University, Florida State, Northwestern University, and Colgate. Her workshops are designed and tailored to discuss a variety of issues on race, diversity, gender, inclusion, antiracism, athletics, power, privilege, and more.

 For more information regarding the positive impact that Jen Fry has had on other institutions and conferences can be found on her website at jenfrytalks.com.