Thursday, 15 June at 19:30 GMT:
Public interest in winter sports is buoyed as people continue to hit the slopes year after year, with many first-time participants joining.
But many blacks and people of color who are interested in skiing, snowboarding and other winter pursuits say they often feel discouraged from participating — and, in some cases, victims of racism and unconscious bias — where the majority of spectators are white.
In 2021 The Stream examined the challenge of making winter sports more accessible and welcoming to people of color and found that sports organizations and resorts still have more to do when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. Survey data released in October by the US National Ski Areas Association showed that only 1.5% of downhill snowsport participants identified as black or African-American.
While several NGOs provide ways for young people of color to get involved in winter sports and eventually compete, the lack of racial diversity among coaches has been a barrier to progress. EDGE Outdoors is an organization working to increase opportunities for Black and Indigenous women to teach the next generation of winter sports stars.
In this episode of The Stream, we’ll join a panel of advocates for racial diversity in winter sports and hear what progress is being made.
On this episode of The Stream, we’re joined by:
Annette Diggs, @edge_pnw
Founder and CEO, EDGE Outdoors
edgeoutdoors.org
Adrienne Saya Isaac, @NSAA_org
Director of Marketing and Communications, US National Ski Areas Association (NSAA)
nsaa.org
Selema Maskela, @Selema
Action sports commentator, and member of Burton Snowboard’s board of directors
salmasekela.com
