HomePublicationPasadenaRose Bowl Institute Hosting ‘Race and Sports Dialogue’

Rose Bowl Institute Hosting ‘Race and Sports Dialogue’

The Rose Bowl Institute announced that it will air its first program –— “Race and Sports Dialogue” — today, Aug. 13. The discussion begins at 7 p.m. on the Rose Bowl Stadium YouTube channel and Facebook account.
Through the Rose Bowl Live virtual platform, the dialogue will include Jackie Robinson Foundation vice chair Sharon Robinson, civil rights historian Taylor Branch and institute advisory board members Cobi Jones and Ronnie Lott. Jones is a former U.S. men’s soccer star and Lott is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
They will address the impact of sports on society with respect to attitudes toward race and racism, and how sports can improve their policies and practices of racial inclusion and equity. They will then turn to ways that sports can do a better job with inclusion, diversity and equity. The Rose Bowl Institute’s Brian Brantley will moderate the program.
This discussion is the first of a three-part series. Other activities in the series include “Jackie 2020,” an in-person conference planned for the winter when people can safely gather at the Rose Bowl again, and an in-person roundtable — a Rose Table Dialogue — to be held in spring 2021. They are all designed to honor the values and example of Pasadena native Jackie Robinson.
“Sports have the opportunity to lead by example,” said Charlie Firestone, president of the Rose Bowl Institute. “Players’ opinions are seen and valued by their fans, especially young ones. League policies matter to the society at large as they are highly visible, involve large populations and have important symbolism. For these reasons, it is important for the Rose Bowl Institute to address how sports can lead the body politic in issues of racial equity, and also how sports institutions can improve in areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The Rose Bowl Institute, an arm of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and Rose Bowl Stadium, champions sportsmanship and aims to “leverage the power of sports to unite people everywhere.”
Using the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium as a classroom and its digital footprint, the Institute engages civic and business leaders, athletes, students, sportscasters, journalists and other members of the public in activities to highlight sports values and their impact on the broader society.
The Rose Bowl Institute will concentrate initially on sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship activities. The RBI calendar will also include a Women’s Empowerment Symposium to be streamed Sept. 16-18, the ongoing Dialogue on Race and Sports, and a series of private roundtable gatherings the RBI calls Rose Table Dialogues.
Anyone interested in more information may email rosebowlinstitute@rosebowlstadium.com or visit rosebowlinstitute.org.

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