University of Delaware Athletics
Nkwonta, Troy Represented Delaware At Second Annual Athlete Activism Summit
6/30/2023 2:00:00 PM | Softball, Delaware Athletics, Track & Field
Over the course of the four days, Athlete Ally brought together college athletes, coaches and administrators across the country to build community, gain knowledge and commit to actions to help expand LGBTQI+ inclusion and allyship on their respective campuses.
The Blue Hen pair kicked off the weekend of festivities Thursday evening (June 22) at Seattle Storm's annual Pride Night against the Indiana Fever. The summit participants heard from various keynote speakers and panelists over the next two days (June 23-24) headlined by Patricio Manuel, the world's first openly transgender man to compete in professional boxing; Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal; Katie Holloway-Bridge, Paralympic Gold medalist and Assistant Director of Name, Image and Likeness at Stanford University Athletics; Sami Whitcomb, professional basketball player with the WNBA's Seattle Storm; and Alison Mariella Désir, author of Running While Black and one of Women's Running Magazine's "Power Women of 2022″ leading discussions centered around:This past weekend with Athlete Ally I had the privilege to learn so much from so many authentic people," said Nkwonta. "This opportunity empowered me to continue to use my voice to create positive change within our own athletic department by promoting an inclusive space for all. Athletics should be a welcoming environment for everyone and we should all strive to make it such.
- the current state of LGBTQI+ inclusion in athletics, and how we can work together to build a more inclusive athletic community
- how to strategically approach obstacles to inclusion and ways to collaborate moving forward
- intersectionality, allyship, and the future of the QTBIPOC Leadership Institute
- recap the past weekend and lay out a blueprint for where we go from here to maximize our collective impact
- opportunities for networking and interactive sports activity, promoting (healthy) competition
I feel so blessed to have met so many amazing and inspiring people on this trip," said Troy. "I will forever be grateful to have become a part of something so much bigger than just this past weekend. It is increasingly important to me that I bring everything that I have learned back to campus in order to make UD athletics a supportive and empowering environment for the people within my community.
Full list of keynote speakers and panelists are below:I am proud of Ayana and Kosie, who are DEIB Student Athlete leaders, for representing the Blue Hens at the Second Annual Athlete Activism Summit," said Senior Associate AD, DEI James Coleman. "I am looking forward to them sharing what they have learned with our community as we work towards creating a culture of inclusivity and belonging.
- Dr. Anna Baeth - Director of Research, Athlete Ally
- Mack Beggs - 2x Texas State Wrestling Champion, Featured in Changing the Game and Mack Wrestles
- Sheridan Blanford - Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, UW Athletics
- Philip Carpio - Assistant Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, UW Athletics
- Alison Désir - Runner, Activist, Author of Running While Black, and Athlete Ally Ambassador
- Brad Evans - Sounders FC
- Fallon Fox - Retired Professional MMA Fighter
- Angel Haim - Actor and Advocate
- Joanna Hoffman - Director of Communications, Athlete Ally
- Katie Holloway-Bridge - Paralympic Gold Medalist
- Madi Huskey - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Intern, Student-athlete; Softball, UW Athletics
- Jari Jones - Actress, Model, Creative, adidas Ambassador
- Anne Lieberman - Director of Policy and Programs, Athlete Ally
- Pat Manuel - Professional Boxer and Athlete Ally Ambassador
- Hanifah McGovern - Director, Community & Social Impact, WNBA Seattle Storm
- Maya Mendoza-Exstrom - COO, Seattle Sounders FC
- Sam Phillips - First Team All-Big 10 Gymnast, Nebraska Gold Academic Medallion
- Gianna Pielet - Texas A&M Tennis player, adidas athlete
- Madison Roukey - Standout College student, Patriot League Pitcher of the Week
- Gio Santiago - Senior Field Officer, Athlete Ally
- Jeanne Schneider - Director, NCAA Sports Marketing and Licensing, adidas
- Sebastian Stewart-Johnson - Co-Founder, Black Menaces
- Hudson Taylor - Founder and Executive Director, Athlete Ally
- Mina Tobias, Singer-Songwriter, Actress, Writer / Founder, Don't MIND Me, Co-Founder of Cornell Athlete Ally Campus Chapter
- Rachel Weaver - Co-Founder and Content Creator, Black Menaces
- Sami Whitcomb - Professional Basketball Player, Seattle Storm, WNBA
To follow along with Delaware's celebration of LGBTQI+ Pride Month, as well as for the latest on all things UD Athletics, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook - @UDBlueHens.
Players Mentioned
