Violence in Our Communities - Awareness + Promoting Change Through Sports [S8]
Featuring Coach Steve Kerr, Torrey Smith, Susan Dunklee, Pastor Earl Smith and Daniel Webster ScD MPH with moderator Ali Knight of Fresh Lifelines for Youth
Joined by some of the greatest athletes, academics, business leaders, and philanthropists for a series of conversations focused on the most critical issues of 2020/2021 through a groundbreaking speaker series - Athletes' Voices, in partnership with The Doug Williams Center for Race and Politics in Sport at Grambling State University and Oliver+Rose presents the Athletes’ Voices Pitch For Change Speaker Series. Athletes' Voices launched in 2020 in collaboration with Harvard University's Global Sports Initiative at the Weatherhead Initiative on Global History and the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021 | 5:00 PM ET - 6:30 PM ET (2:00 PM PT - 3:30 PM PT)
GUN VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES | RAISING AWARENESS AND PROMOTING CHANGE THROUGH SPORTS
"We need common sense gun laws to help thwart the horror of the gun violence that occurs daily in our country. Enough is enough. The young people will win, and thank God, because the old people have let us down on this issue for too long." (Golden State Warriors Head Coach and EverytownadvocateSteve Kerr, 13 February 2019)
A provocative and action-oriented conversation, featuring athletes and practitioners who are on the front lines of this important topic:
Steve Kerr | Head Coach, Golden State Warriors; 5x NBA Champion (player) and 3x NBA Champion (coach); Team USA Coach; NBA Coach of the Year (2016); outspoken activist and advocate around gun control, equity and the Black Lives Matter movement
Pastor Earl Smith | Author - Death Row Chaplain; former Chaplain - California Department of Corrections (San Quentin); Team Pastor, San Francisco 49ers and Golden State Warriors; CEO - C.A.R.E. (Concerned About Recovery Education)
Torrey Smith| NFL Legend; 2x Super Bowl Champion; Founder - LEVEL82; former intern - Maryland Representative Elijah Cummings; Task Force Member - Players' Coalition
Daniel Webster ScD MPH | Director, Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy and co-lead of the Violence Prevention Workgroup of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative at Johns Hopkins University; has published over 120 articles in scientific journals on topics including gun policy and violence prevention
Susan Dunklee | 2x Olympian, 2x World Championship Silver Medalist, US Biathlon National Team (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting); Member of Craftsbury Green Racing Project; has spoken out around gun violence
Ali Knight [Moderator] | President and CEO, Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), supporting at-risk and justice system-involved youth to remain crime-free and safe; previously in leadership at the Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and at the Vera Institute of Justice in New York
With this eighth installment of our Pitch for Change Speaker Series, Athletes' Voices continues to inspire impact and amplify athletes' voices as influencers around a wide range of topics, including the role sports plays in motivating young scholars.
Pitch for Change has curated a fascinating group of influencers who will share their first-hand accounts, professional perspective and suggested action items around sports as a conduit for awareness and action related to gun control and violence in our communities.