Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, is calling on the citys major hospitals to break down the barriers for providing coronavirus testing.

During a City Council virtual hearing on the racial and ableist disparities of COVID-19, she suggested that all Philadelphia hospitals that received millions of dollars in CARES Act funding should open their doors from 9 a.m. to midnight to make it more convenient for residents to be tested.

"The hours are 9 to 5," Stanford said. "There are no hours on the weekends. How are people supposed to get tested?"

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support the nation's longest continuously published newspaper serving the African American community by making a contribution.

Stanford also said making people show identification or obtain physician referrals can keep people from getting tested.

People retreat and recoil when they hear that, she said. Its like asking them to sign something thats 20 pages long with a vocabulary that they may not understand. The reality is you need a persons name, you need a date of birth and you need a way to contact them. When we test people on the street at Broad and Olney or at 52nd and Market, those were the only three pieces of information that we needed.

The hearing was held by the Council Committee on People with Disabilities and Special Needs, chaired by Councilman Derek Green and the Committee on Public Health and Human Services, chaired by Councilwoman Cindy Bass.

Too many of our citizens have been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic, not only from a public health perspective but also from an economic perspective, Green said.

That experience is not only in the African-American community, but also in the Latin community as well as the disability community. All of these communities were having major challenges in reference to public health before COVID-19. What COVID-19 has done has only illuminated the disparities that many people in our city are dealing with every day.

We as elected officials, as members of the executive branch, of the general public, those who are leaders in our community, need to do what needs to be done to address this issue, he continued.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley said current city data show marked disparities of the coronavirus impact by race and ethnicity.

As of last weekend, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported 846 COVID-19 deaths in African Americans, 461 deaths in whites, 146 deaths in Hispanics and 49 deaths in Asian Americans.

COVID-19 seems to following a pattern of other health problems, Farley said.

African Americans have higher mortality rates than whites for a wide range of diseases and injuries from heart diseases to diabetes to homicides. These disparities are one result of structural racism in our society that reaches back across generations.

The exact mechanisms by which this legacy affects COVID are not fully clear, but we can speculate about. People of color are more likely to work remotely and are more likely to be front-line workers and risk their exposure to the virus, he said.

The legacy of redlining in our city means that Black and Latino city residents are more likely to live in crowded housing, where they are unable to safely quarantine or to isolate if sick.

Farley highlighted the Public Health Departments new COVID-19 Racial Equity Response Plan.

Racial disparities of COVID-19 infection are representative of deep-seated problems so they will not be eliminated easily or quickly, nonetheless we will take the steps in our plan to reduce deaths and continue to look for additional opportunities to solve this problem, he said.

The plan includes increasing access to COVID-19 testing, tracking racial and ethnic disparities, conducting community outreach, preventing chronic health conditions, protecting essential workers, preventing spread in congregate settings such as nursing homes, shelters and prisons and a new contact tracing program.

Weve worked with partners across the city to expand testing access with an intentional focus on Black and Latino neighborhoods, Farley said. There is more to be done but we have made significant progress.

One of those partners is the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, which city officials have promised to pay $1.3 million to test Black residents over the next six months.

The consortium has tested 8,000 people in Philadelphia since April, through partnerships with local Black religious institutions.

I formed the organization because Black people in Philadelphia were being diagnosed and dying at a rate higher than any other group and there was not a concerted effort to decrease that death and disease on April 16 when we started, Stanford said.

As of last week, the number of Philadelphia residents tested for coronavirus jumped from 1,500 per day to more than 3,000, Farley said.

Of the people tested so far, for whom we have race and ethnic information, 54% of those tested were African American, 27% were white and 9% were Latino, he said.

During the hearing, Koert Wehberg, executive director of the Mayors Commission on People with Disabilities, underscored how COVID-19 has impacted people who are disabled.

When COVID hit, many people with disabilities were in congregate care facilities, nursing homes, group homes, personal care homes (and) correctional facilities and unfortunately over half of the people who succumbed to COVID had an underlying health condition or disability, he said.

Abrupt changes in routines have resulted in people with intellectual developmental disabilities having increased behavioral issues and issues with home care. Weve heard heart heartbreaking stories from folks who are afraid or unable to leave their homes, since this all started, as a result as their change of routine and difficulty in obtaining PPE (personal protective equipment) for themselves of their home care workers.

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City Council hearing highlights social inequalities of COVID-19 - The Philadelphia Tribune

By Jennifer Johnson and Kathleen Pearson

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Law360 (July 29, 2020, 3:51 PM EDT) --

Cohen went on to show how these cultural characteristics were holding law firms back, limiting their markets, and leading to client dissatisfaction.

Cohen's ideas seem even more resonant today. Because of COVID-19, we are seeing emerging changes to the very definition of "workplace," which gives firms the opportunity to examine how culture can be shaped to do things differently. We believe firms can create inclusive, client-facing and innovation-welcoming cultures if they are prepared to take on the hard work of change by examining the entire law firm ecosystem and everyone in it.

To overcome the inherent inertia, law firm leaders need to be intentional, measured and patient (yet determined) when shaping cultural change. And although leadership is essential, a culture will not change just because a managing partner demands it. It is a group journey, and there needs to be guideposts and milestones along the way.

What is culture, anyway?

A useful model of organizational culture[2] has been proposed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology emeritus professor Edward Schein. In Schein's model, culture is a combination of three factors:

We offer the following ideas for kick-starting and driving firms' cultural change programs.

1. Diagnose your current culture.

Do not assume you know what it is challenge your beliefs! Start by gathering information from as many sources as possible.

Survey clients, partners, associates, office staff, referral sources anyone who has direct experience with your firm and the way your people work. In particular, pay close attention to your people's underlying assumptions about what is important to the firm. Analyze where these assumptions may be in conflict with the inclusive, open culture that you aspire.

Once you have completed the assessment, create an honest statement of where you are today, and then be very specific about what you want to change and why.

2. Define your purpose.

This is a critical step to which many firms have only paid lip service. A purpose statement encapsulates your firm's reason for being. It needs to be short, memorable and unique. It should define what your firm aspires to be for all your stakeholders clients, employees, partners and the community. Do not be satisfied with a bland purpose statement that could be true of any firm find what is unique about your situation.

3. Determine your values.

Values are extensions of your purpose guideposts that help your people make critical choices about how they behave. For example, what is more important to your firm, satisfying a client's short-term demand or building an associate's long-term career? Your firm's values should help your people answer that question when a choice is necessary.

Your values must map to behaviors, and we recommend creating very specific statements of behaviors that will support what you are trying to accomplish, as well as those that are out of step with your values.

A powerful approach used by many organizations is to assign a cross-functional team to define their values as a set of five short, memorable guiding principles. Each principle would include a mission statement outlining the behaviors implied.

Also, consider a recognition and reward program, whereby team members could nominate co-workers who exude the guiding principles in exemplary ways.

4. Create artifacts to bring the values to life.

Organizations may choose to invest in tangible manifestations of the new culture they want to install.

For example, if a firm adopts community leadership as one of its core values, they can hire an executive-level leader to lead community-focused efforts and create a matching grants program, whereby the firm provides cash donations to organizations where their employees volunteered. The firm can also establish an internal recognition program to honor employees who demonstrated commitment to their communities. The cost of such initiatives may not be insignificant, but they can pay back huge dividends in the firm's reputation and employee loyalty.

One important component of artifacts involves the tone and manner of organizational communications. Many organizations have recognized the need to manage their "employee brands" to curate the content and format of formal communications to employees so they reinforce the values of the firm. We also advise leaders to be transparent when communicating the firm's overarching strategy, so that people understand where the firm is going and their role in bringing it to life.

Leaders who need to facilitate cultural change should also demonstrate openness, humility and vulnerability. Creating a culture where you can say "I don't know" helps to unfreeze the current culture and opens up opportunities for people from outside the leadership team to contribute valuable ideas and perspectives.

5. Align your rewards and measures.

We advise firms to look carefully at their processes related to measurement and reward ensure that the right behaviors are being highlighted. For example, a firm whose core values include community participation might consider adding this to their criteria for promotion to partnership.

We also advocate for a balanced-scorecard approach to performance management that establishes metrics and key performance indicatorsaligned with the firm's values. For example, if "delighting clients" is one of the firm's core values, each practice group would report performance against that value (this might be accomplished through client surveys). Ideally every individual professional would have their own performance scorecards aligned to the values.

6. Hire for cultural fit.

Your culture will be shaped by future recruits as much as, or even more than, your current employees. To build a truly durable culture, you must be proactive about the types of people you bring into the organization. Ensure that job specifications and role descriptions reflect the purpose and values you are trying to embed. Train those involved in recruiting to recognize candidates who can demonstrate cultural fit in equal measure to technical competence.

For example, if your intent is to create a culture where people will take initiative and go the extra mile in client service, you may wish to look for people who have demonstrated intrapreneurship in previous positions.

Conclusion

We believe that the COVID-19 crisis represents an inflection point for law firm culture. As the saying goes, "Never let a good crisis go to waste."

Law firm culture has been built around the artifact of physical office walls, which enforce the proximity of colleagues and team members. Now that firms are working virtually, the old walls are down and new opportunities for cross-functional collaboration are opening up.

Wehave seen evidence of this: Far from hindering productivity, the new virtual work environment is enabling greater participation, dialogue and collaboration, and it is encouraging people to support each other beyond their individual interests.

Smart law firm leaders will take advantage of this moment to start a journey of cultural transformation. Working in a focused, intentional manner, they will apply the techniques and tools we've discussed here to build healthy cultures that support partners, associates, business services teams and clients alike.

Kathleen Pearson is chief human resources officer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the firm, its clients, or Portfolio Media Inc., or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcohen1/2017/07/03/goodbye-guild-laws-changing-culture/#951f96f70e80

[2] https://www.managementstudyhq.com/edgar-schein-model-theory.html

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6 Steps For Law Firms Looking To Improve Their Culture - Law360

THE HISPANIC BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY DENOUNCES THE ATTACKAGAINST JUDGE ESTHER SALAS AND HER FAMILY AS A HATE CRIME

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2020

The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey (HBA-NJ) denounces the attack on Judge Esther Salas and her family as a hate crime based on race and sex. As a result of this senseless act of violence, Judge Salas and her husband, Mark Anderl, tragically lost their only child, Daniel Anderl, and Mark was critically injured. We cannot stand by idly or silent when faced with a hate crime. This attack was intentional and highlights the very real fact that racism and discrimination are alive, even in our legal profession. We cannot and will not let discrimination and racism win. Let us all rise up, support, and lift Judge Salas and her family during this most devastating time through the power of prayer, advocacy against hate, and support from our community, stated HBA-NJ President Melinda Coln Cox.

As we mourn with Judge Salas and her family, we are reminded of the Judges strength, her leadership, and her illustrious career. Of Cuban and Mexican descent, Judge Salas achieved the American Dream through hard work, persistence and perseverance by embracing her culture, values and beliefs. She is a graduate of Rutgers Law School, a proud alumna of the Rutgers Minority Student Program, and served as the HBA-NJs 22nd President. Prior to joining the federal bench, Judge Salas was also dedicated to public service as a federal public defender. In 2006, Judge Salas became the first Latina U.S. Magistrate Judge in the District of New Jersey, and was subsequently nominated by then-President Barack Obama and elevated as a federal district judge in 2010. Again, continuing to blaze trails as the first Latina to serve in the position of federal district judge in the District of New Jersey, Judge Salas has an unwavering commitment to public service and ensures that justice is served each day in her courtroom.

She is always present for the HBA-NJ and our community and never hesitates to pay it forward and inspire countless others. Judge Salas works tirelessly to serve the legal community and community at large and to mentor the next generation of leaders and students. For her trailblazing career and contributions to the legal profession and community at large, Judge Salas has earned many accolades, awards and honors. Simply put, Judge Salass work ethic is unmatched and the New Jersey Federal Judiciary is blessed to have her on the bench, said President Cox.

President Cox concluded: Make no mistake that the HBA-NJ will be here to speak up and speak out against this abhorrent hate crime and the discriminatory actions against Judge Salas, women, and minority communities. There is no place for hate, racism or discrimination in this society and certainly not in our own legal profession. For now, however, we humbly request that everyone focus on the power of prayer, so that Judge Salas and her family may begin to heal and find peace.

###

About The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey

Founded in 1980, the HBA-NJ is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association that is comprised of attorneys, judges, law professors, law students, and other professionals who share a common interest in addressing the issues affecting Hispanics within the legal community.

The purpose of the Association is to serve the public interest: (i) by cultivating the art and science of jurisprudence, (ii) by advancing the standing of the legal profession, and (iii) by preserving high standards of integrity, honor, and professional courtesy among Hispanic lawyers.

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THE HISPANIC BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY DENOUNCES THE ATTACK AGAINST JUDGE ESTHER SALAS AND HER FAMILY AS A HATE CRIME - InsiderNJ

At the start of the pandemic, when many of us were asked to stay home to stem the spread of the coronavirus, it seemed like a lot of people had one of two reactions. Some embraced sheltering in place, thinking to themselves, Why not use this big pause to do something I always wanted to do? whether that meant cleaning out the closets, picking up a home renovation project, or learning a new language. The rest of us including me had no such plans. My goal was never to come out of quarantine a different, more improved person. It felt like everything in the world was so overwhelming, and getting by day by day would be more than sufficient.

As time went on, however, many of us myself included came to realize that we cant help but evolve and come away changed by these times. But rather than let change happen to us, we can be intentional and actively participate in our transformation.

Some of us will make small but meaningful tweaks to our lives. Others will strive for a larger, sweeping reinvention. Theres no one right way to go about change; the important thing is to be deliberate and purposeful, and keep moving forward.

Heres whats been working for me, as I take this opportunity to contemplate who I want to be and how I want to evolve. Perhaps some of these techniques can help guide you on your own journey.

Revisit your goals. Im not a big fan of New Years resolutions not because I dont think theyre useful, but because I dont think we should limit ourselves to reassessing the trajectory of our lives just once a year. Why not do that right now? Consider this turbulent time in our nation both with the virus and the seismic reckoning over racism that were in the middle of an ideal opportunity to review what you want to accomplish and who you want to be.

Were living through something weve never lived through before, and that gives us all the chance to look at our lives from a different angle. Do your personal goals continue to make sense and resonate with your values? Have your priorities changed? If you realize you need to pivot some aspect of your life, make that choice now rather than waiting for next month, or next year.

Reflect on the events of this year. Are there things youve learned, or that youve been thinking about, that have troubled you? Were you bothered by the lack of human connection you felt during quarantine? Did you crave a more active lifestyle when you were spending most of your time at home? Reflecting on what didnt work for you can be a great tool to help you decide if you want to do something differently going forward.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was pretty much on an airplane every week for work. These past few months have been the longest stretch of time Ive been home in approximately 10 years. I have discovered a new passion: I love being home. This experience has made me realize that I can be an effective leader, colleague, and influencer without getting on a plane each week. Its better for me and my well-being, for my family, and for the environment. Now that I have realized this, it excites me to think: How do I evolve to do all the things I want to do, but do them in a different way?

Use your own personal data to fuel change. Your emotions give you information in fact, I think of my emotions as data. During this time, whether because of COVID-19 or racial injustice or economic challenges or any other circumstance, what were the highs and lows of your emotions? And what can you learn from them?

Observing my emotions has highlighted the importance of finding joy in everyday moments. I always believed in it, but I was often too busy to fully recognize the joy in little things and hold onto that joy. Before, if my puppy did something funny, Id laugh in the moment then move onto whatever was next. Now I laugh and realize that she has no clue about whats going on in the world; she is just living in the moment and living her best life.

Educate yourself. Sometimes in order to create change personal as well as societal we need to commit to learning more about why things are the way they are. I am a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and access, and I am constantly looking for ways to further the conversation around mental health.

Lately, as the pervasiveness of systemic racism has become a larger conversation in our country, Ive spent a lot of time learning about the history of mental health in the Black community. Our mental health system needs to do better for everyone, and specifically for the communities of people of color. One way we can affect change is by elevating BIPOC voices in the mental health and well-being space. We cant allow their voices to go unheard anymore.

Recognize your power. Even the most personal changes we make can have a powerful ripple effect through communities and our society as a whole. Think about the collective impact we could have if we all made one small positive change and put that out in the world. If we all decided Im going to travel less for work, the impact that could have on the environment would be immense. Or if we each made the commitment to volunteer with an organization weve never worked with before, or committed to learning about racism and how we can all amplify BIPOC voices, the results could be transformative. Simply put, when we embark on positive change in our individual lives, everyone benefits.

Follow ushereand subscribeherefor all the latest news on how you can keep Thriving.

Stay up to date or catch-up on all our podcasts with Arianna Huffingtonhere.

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5 Ways to Change Your Life for the Better Right Now - Thrive Global

Athletes on the track and field team participate in a virtual 4,000-meter race to raise awareness and to fundraise for the Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) COVID-19 Relief Fund. (GRETA SIREK)

In the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, universities across the country are confronting their own issues of racism and exclusivity. Varsity and club sports teams at Middlebury have begun to examine privilege and exclusion present within their own groups, and some are taking direct action to foster an environment welcoming to all members.

Varsity teams reexamine recruiting practices

An open letter penned by Middlebury athletes across sports and addressed to the athletics department petitions coaches and faculty to shift practices to better serve underrepresented communities, widen geographic areas of recruitment and deprioritize recruiting trips.

The letter asks that the athletics department move recruiting efforts online to better reach individuals who cannot afford to fund their own recruiting trips, and to shift away from prioritizing face-to-face recruitment interactions, which disenfranchise certain potential athletic recruits.

Quite simply, we are calling for the demographics of Middlebury student-athletes to better represent those of our country and world, the letter reads.

The Middlebury track and field team is taking the matter into its own hands, developing a new student-led recruiting strategy. Student-athletes will recruit high school track and field [and] cross country athletes from racially and socioeconomically diverse high schools located in the Middlebury students hometown, said track athletes Greta Sirek 22, Grace Kirkpatrick 22, and Kate Holly 21.

The swimming and diving team at Middlebury is exploring a similar strategy.

Swimmer Courtney Gantt 22 is among those who want to make Middleburys swim and dive team more diverse and inclusive. This could include expanding opportunities for virtual recruiting trips if people cannot afford to come to campus or bringing Middlebury admissions representatives to more [places] where there are high POC populations that may not know about Middlebury otherwise, Gantt said.

The swimming and diving team is predominantly White in fact, there were no Black athletes on the 20192020 roster. In addition to addressing recruitment tactics, the team is also working on educating themselves about race and swimming.

This meant organizing conversations concerning race and diversity in the sport with Director of Equity and Inclusion Renee Wells. Gantt emphasized the importance of engaging in these difficult conversations as a team in order to make a difference both in and out of the pool.

Our team is making a commitment to educate ourselves about the history of race and swimming and the different access that Black people have had to higher education, jobs, healthcare and all spheres of life, Gantt said.

The swim and dive team also plans to provide more swim lessons to low income families in the area to expand access to swimming.

The womens soccer team also reflected on their presence on campus as a majority White team by hosting team meetings with faculty to discuss anti-racism. We hope to make efforts to diversify our team and are looking into tangible ways we can do that throughout the summer and when we get back to campus, Ellie Bavier 22 said.

Club sports take on addressing Whiteness and exclusion

Although club sports teams often offer messages of inclusion in their recruiting and mission statements, many face similar issues of exclusion and discrimination.

Alyssa Brown 20 is a member of the Middlebury ultimate frisbee team. In Browns memory, there have been few to no Black players on the mens and womens frisbee teams. Brown attributes much of this lack of diversity to frisbees origins as a countercultural sport that has historically been played in majority White and wealthy communities.

The Pranksters have certainly come a long way since 2016 in terms of intentional learning and commitment to inclusivity, but students of color still do not feel welcome, so there is still a problem, Brown explained.

Because club sports do not receive the same funding as varsity sports on campus, teams often count on players and their families to make monetary contributions. Although Brown said the Pranksters have always tried to be inclusive by providing monetary aid for those who need it, the personal funds needed for team social activities can be hindering.

Being surrounded by a community that is interpreted as wealthy can generally be discouraging for low-income students, Brown said. This is also important to note because race and class are undeniably linked, although obviously its case by case.

Rugby has made steps to decrease the stress that can be created through these required finances. Freshmen are no longer required to pay the annual dues, and players have the option to rent equipment and gear instead of buying.

Megan Salmon 21 also spoke of issues with racist culture that the team had five years ago. There was an alum who had a position of power on the team who abused it and created a very racist and generally unwelcoming environment on the team, Salmon said.

In the years since, its my personal opinion that the womens rugby team has done an excellent job of turning around the culture by having meetings discussing the harm and racism, and gradually having more and more BIPOCs present in our leadership positions. Not intentional, but it helped.

Salmon and her teammate Lenny Gusman 21, both athletes of color, recently facilitated a two-hour dialogue about the history of the prison-industrial complex and policing and how they impact the team and team culture. They plan to continue the conversation by conducting similar meetings throughout the semester.

The Pranksters are also having conversations about race and inclusion. Since 2018, the team has held a community workshop each semester with the goal of creating a more inclusive team environment. At these meetings, leaders of the mens and womens teams discuss the barriers that are presented through the sport of frisbee and set expectations on how to lessen these obstacles.

Now, both the mens and womens frisbee teams are committed to adopting the format of these workshops to address issues of Whiteness and exclusivity within the sport.

The crew team is in the same boat. Issues of exclusivity on our team are evident from the overwhelming Whiteness of our membership, high rates of attrition of BIPOC from our team and the unacceptable acts of discrimination, notably microaggressions, that many of our rowers of color have experienced, captain Sophie Smith 21 said.

Smith explained that the team is planning on changing their financial aid and fundraising system, as well as increasing flexibility to the practice schedule to remove barriers for members who may need to work to support their education. The team is also considering adding new leadership positions, such as a novice captain position, to ensure these changes will be as impactful as possible.

Above all, athletes of color emphasised the necessity of a cultural shift in making long lasting changes.

I think its important to address the reason why POCs are not joining the teams and tackling them instead of just giving into the consensus that Middlebury club sports are just predominantly White and we cant do anything. Gusman said. Our team still has a long way to go just like everybody in this country, but I am proud of the active steps we have taken. Even if we think we are doing our best we can always do better.

Student athletes raise funds for the Black Lives Matter movement

Many sports teams have also stepped up to raise money and awareness in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, using social media as a means to spread information.

The womens swim and dive team organized a fundraising campaign, raising over $4,000 for the Rutland Area NAACP through a 48-hour sweat-a-thon. The team donated $1 for every minute of exercise logged and accepted donations through an online fund.

Gantt, along with fellow organizer Ellie Thompson 22, said the fundraiser helped generate conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement among family and community members, who shared posts, educational materials and photos of their workouts on social media. Although she considers the fundraiser successful in garnering support from friends, family and alumni, she isnt satisfied yet.

We know that it is not enough to raise money, Gantt said. We must continue the conversation and do more.

The women and mens varsity squash teams fundraised a total of $12,260 for the Vermont branch of the ACLUs Smart Justice Campaign. The teams chose to support a more local organization to become more engaged with the problems of [their] wider community and to spread awareness about the prevalence of racism in Vermont, according to their official statement. The teams held several discussions over Zoom and shared their learnings with friends, family, alumni and Instagram followers via an informational sheet as part of their fundraising efforts.

The squash program will continue their commitment to antiracism by appointing three Social Justice representatives who will lead conversations to ensure awareness of systemic racism. The teams also plan on designating one match each season as an annual fundraiser for a cause related to Black Lives Matter, according to their latest statement.

The womens soccer team raised over $2,300 to donate to Bryan Stevensons Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit organization providing legal representation for prisoners who have been wrongfully convicted, unfairly sentenced or abused in jail. Bavier said the team elected to support an organization that actively works to end mass incarceration and inspire lasting change within the criminal justice system.

We appreciated the tangible legal steps implemented to create change, and we found their story incredibly compelling, Bavier said.

The track and field team arranged a virtual 4,000-meter race on July 19 to collect money for the Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) COVID-19 Relief Fund. Coordinated by Sirek, Kirkpatrick and Holly, the fundraiser supports communities of color that have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

The three organizers explained that they chose the KYRC fund, which was founded by Colin Kaepernick in 2016, for its mission to engender social and economic change in Brown and Black communities across America. So far, the team has collected over $1,500 and expects more donations as the summer continues.

Several club sports teams have also joined the fundraising effort to support the Black Lives Matter movement within the sports arena and beyond.

Coordinated by Salmon, Gusman and teammate Betsy Romans 23, womens rugby hosted a fundraising campaign to support BLD PWR, a Black-run nonprofit organization dedicated to training a more diverse community of entertainers and athletes. The team challenges other clubs to do the same, without disclosing the amount of money raised to avoid performativity.

We believe that group silence contributes to a lack of accountability among individuals which justifies neutrality and inaction thus serving the agenda of the oppressor, the teams social media post stated. For this reason, we challenge other Middlebury organizations to take the route of action rather than just words.

Similarly, Middleburys ultimate frisbee team published a statement of their unequivocal support for the Black Lives Matter movement, outlining a course of action for implementing change in our communities.

The Pranksters also raised $4,818 to split between the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington and Ultimate Impact through donations from team members, family, friends and alumni.

The sailing team recently collected funds to support Campaign Zero, an organization dedicated to researching policy-based solutions for ending police brutality and urging other NEISA (New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association) to take action. Middleburys sailing team is also part of NEISAs Equity and Inclusion Committee, which elects one representative from each team in the league to discuss issues of exclusivity within the sport of sailing.

Middleburys crew team gathered monetary donations for three organizations, including the NAACP, National Bail Out and Row New York, which provides academic and athletic support for youth, regardless of background or rowing ability.

While team fundraising campaigns have helped spread awareness and raise funds to support anti-racist organizations, each team recognizes that the pocketbook itself is not powerful enough to create permanent change.

We are hopeful that there will be changes at an institutional level to do more to bring prospective POC athletes to Middlebury and increase teams diversity, Gantt said. We must increase access to our school and our sport so that more Black leaders can emerge and contribute their voice to the national conversation.

Copy Editor Ideal Dowling 22 contributed reporting.

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Middlebury athletic teams reckon with Whiteness and exclusivity - The Middlebury Campus