Sports recapitulates and reflects society. Dr. Edwards traces the arc of race, sports, and society through the struggles of the civil rights movement, the deterioration of black communities, and crises of crime and violence, highlighting the need for renewed activism, from the bottom up.
Edwards' momentum: "There are no final victories in the struggle for a more perfect society, therefore every generation must fight its battles. I am as committed to struggle in my 60s as I was in the 60s."
Bio
Melissa Bradley-Burns
Melissa Bradley-Burns is a Senior Strategist for Green For All. Her primary role is leading the Capital Access Program - working to provide human, social and financial capital to entrepreneurs and businesses in an effort to create, scale and sustain green jobs.
Bradley-Burns currently serves as an Advisor to Renewal 2 Investment Fund and holds board positions with Georgetown University Board of Governors, Green America, the Tides Network and the Tides Foundation. Bradley-Burns holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Georgetown University and a Master's in Business Administration in Marketing from American University.
Dr. Harry Edwards
For more than thirty years, scholar-activist Dr. Harry Edwards has been the leading authority on the interface of race, sport, and society. The founder of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, Edwards' ideas led to the Black athlete boycott of the 1968 Olympics.
A pioneer in the development of the sociology of sport as an academic discipline in America, he was professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley from 1970-2000. He has been a consultant on issues of diversity and opportunity for the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, the NB A, and the NFL, and has worked to compel the sports establishment to confront and to effectively address issues pertaining to diversity and equal opportunity within its ranks.
A consultant with producers of sports related programs for numerous television and film productions in the United States and abroad, he has received dozens of awards and honors, including several honorary doctorate degrees.
I hear you. Even from a distant land, I can perceive the alarm and outrage over the deterioration of Black communities in America. What can be done about it? I don't know. Jesse Jackson used to say, "There's nothing wrong with our genes, but there's something wrong with our agenda."