Summit Focuses on Equity in Athletics

The Campolindo athletic department had an equity seminar to help foster more awareness of current racial issues on April 26. The student athletes who attended the meeting were chosen to represent their respective teams.

The seminar was structured so that participants could first recognize who they were and what factors most affected their lives, and then they were guided to look beyond themselves and deal with example real life situations pertaining to race.

“I thought that it was really interesting and helpful,” said junior cross country and track and field runner Rhys Pullen. “They taught us how to deal with racially insensitive situations when they arise.”

Similarly to Pullen, junior water polo player Paige Chivers said, “the diversity meeting was extremely helpful in terms of understanding how to resolve conflicts and prevent racial issues from occurring within athletics at Campolindo.”

According to athletic Director Ray Meadows, the program was “run by the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), and we have offered 4 other programs in alliance with the PCA. The program specifically was called battling racism in sports.”

Meadows added that through the program “we are trying to provide some tools and continue a conversation that will be ongoing. We are trying to address the issues within our athletic department and our entire school.”

Meadows also went on to say that “this is one step and one small piece of what we are trying to do. The focus was on our athletics and future leaders, meaning primarily freshman and juniors.”

This program was partly directed towards the athletic department due to the major following of athletics in the Lamorinda community. “[This] activity will not only help our school become more inclusive, but also help individual students practice empathy,” said Chivers.