A business dedicated to increasing the number of Black professionals in behind-the-scenes roles in sports and entertainment has declared July 7 National Black Women in Sports Day and launched a new website to support the event.
A social media campaign highlighting the achievements of Black women in sports will be conducted in conjunction with the launch.
"There are few resources dedicated specifically to Black women in the sports industry, and there are unique challenges and adversities that Black women face that still aren’t being addressed," said Jaia Thomas, the Los Angeles-based founder and chief executive officer of Diverse Representation, the company behind the campaign. "Our goal with National Black Women in Sports Day is to spotlight the individuals, organizations, and companies paving the way for greater gender and racial equality in the world of sports."
Even in sports where Black women dominate the rosters, there’s a lack of representation among roles like agents, attorneys, managers and publicists, the company said.
“The current discussion on diversity in the sports and entertainment industry has overwhelmingly been limited to the perspective of those names and faces we see on the screen, on court or on the field,” the Diverse Representation website says. “Rarely do we speak about it from the perspective of those doing the legwork behind the scenes who represent entertainers and professional athletes, negotiate fair deals and foster relationships for future work.”
The new National Black Women in Sports Day website will serve as a resource hub for those interested in supporting Black women in sports and will feature podcasts, organizations, books and apparel lines spearheaded by Black women in the sports industry.