SPORTS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson women’s basketball program is continuing its advocacy efforts this season, by beginning its fifth and final social justice campaign today. As the Wildcats have previously raised awareness on homelessness, mental health, domestic violence and breast cancer, this week, the team is shifting its focus to the Black Lives Matter movement.

In an effort to make a difference in the community, the ‘Cats have partnered with Charlotte CARES Mentoring Movement, which has connected the team with the Hornets Nest Elementary School in Charlotte, N.C. The Wildcats have already met with the leaders of the school, via Zoom, and plan to meet with students ranging from 3rd through 5th grade, to establish mentor relationships that will continue to grow in the years to come.

To learn more about Charlotte CARES and its national mentoring movement, visit: caresmentoring.org.

This week, the Wildcats are also working with Athletes Driving Change, an action based organization lead by minority female basketball athletes in the Atlantic 10 conference driven by the mission to make everlasting change towards equality for all people by eliminating social injustices towards people of color deeply rooted in American culture. To learn more about the Athletes Driving Change’s mission, visit athletesdrivingchange.org.

Education statistics: 

• Schools with 90 percent or more students of color spend $733 less per student, per year than schools with 90 percent or more white students (Source: AmericanProgress.org).
• Compared to their white classmates, black students have less access to college ready courses (Source: Inside HigherEd).
• Only 57% of black students have access to math and science courses needed for college readiness (Source: United Negro College Fund).

Things to know about the Black Lives Matter movement:

• It is understood that most police officers are just everyday people who want to do their jobs, make a living for their families, and come home safely at the end of their shift. This does not mean, however, that police are not implicated in a system that criminalizes black people (Source: BlackLivesMatter.com).
• The statement “Black Lives Matter” is not an anti-white proposition (Source: BlackLivesMatter.com).
• The Black Lives Matter movement is not pro-violence or against the American flag (Source: BlackLivesMatter.com).
• About 93% of the 10,600-plus racial justice protests in the U.S. this summer have been peaceful (Source: Time Magazine).