Black Players for Change, Black Women’s Player Collective, Black Players Alliance of the USL and Independent Supporters Council Celebrate 1 Year Anniversary Of Organization and Juneteenth
Black Players for Change, Black Women’s Player Collective, Black Players Alliance of the USL and Independent Supporters Council Celebrate 1 Year Anniversary Of Organization and Juneteenth
Black Professional Players Organizations and over 95% of All Major North American Soccer Supporters Groups Join Together to Celebrate Juneteenth – BPC, BWPC, USLBPA and ISC Celebrate Holiday with Fundraising, Displays of Support, and Education #TogetherThereWillBeChange
Dallas, Texas – June 19, 2021 – The three most prominent Black soccer players’ organizations joined with the Independent Supporters Council (ISC) today to announce programming plans in honor of Juneteenth, the date traditionally marked for the end of chattel slavery in the United States. Black Players for Change (BPC – composed of players in Major League Soccer), Black Players Alliance of the USL (USLBPA – composed of players in the United Soccer Leagues), and the Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC – composed of players in the National Women’s Soccer League) will raise awareness of the importance of Juneteenth and the formation of their respective organizations. This initiative is set to raise money through merchandise sales of the 1865 Collection: Celebrate Freedom Tee designed by Chris Fox and Phelo Alonso for a future day of service amongst all the organizations which will be in support and collaboration with the Black soccer community. Participants in this year’s programming will use the hashtag #TogetherThereWillBeChange to mark their activities.
Pre-sale will go from June 19 (US – Juneteenth) to August 1 (Canada Emancipation Day). Shirts can be purchased by going to: http://BlackPlayersForChange.Org/Juneteenth
Juneteenth is the celebration of the end of slavery in the US, and dates back to the delivery of news—and subsequent enforcement—of the Emancipation Proclamation to Texas. In recent years, Juneteenth has become not only a historical marker of the end of slavery, but also a day of reflection on the past injustices suffered by the BIPOC community in the US.
“The unprecedented unity of ISC, BWPC, USLBPA and BPC on this recently recognized National Holiday of Juneteenth is a pivotal day in Black Soccer history, ” said Quincy Amarikwa, Founder and Director of Strategic Partnerships of BPC. “The commitment to a collaborative, transparent and inclusive process by everyone involved was an impactful experience and I feel honored to have played a small role. BPC looks forward to continuing to develop our relationships with everyone involved as we know this does not create the outcomes of accountability we all want to see, if not done together through a commitment to a long term vision.”
“The BPA is honored to collaborate with these inspiring groups thriving to make a difference in today’s game. Juneteenth is a very important historical date that educates us on the struggles we had to endure to get here today. It’s a day of freedom, celebration and a reminder that this fight still continues and the work isn’t done.”, said Hugh Roberts for Black Players Alliance of the USL.
“The BWPC is humbled by the historic collaboration between our organization, ISC, BPC, and the Black Players Alliance of USL for this Juneteenth holiday. Juneteenth as a holiday has been overlooked for too long by the general public. For this reason, I am eager for the work we are doing together to support BIPOC communities across the country on this day of celebration.”, said Imani Dorsey for the Black Women’s Player Collective.
BPC, BWPC and USLBPA joined with the ISC for this year’s programming. The ISC is a collective that promotes and protects supporter culture in soccer in North America. With more than 100 member supporter organizations across five professional soccer leagues in North America, the ISC works closely with team and league officials to bring awareness to challenges that supporters face, as well as to successes that supporters achieve in their communities.
“We support the Black players’ associations one hundred percent,” said Bailey Brown, President of the ISC. “We’ve been working with them to bring greater awareness to inequities in soccer since they formed last summer, including with our panel discussion during our annual summit this past winter. We’re eager to continue to collaborate with these groups to find new ways to reach equality.”
In addition to fundraising and awareness campaigns, many ISC member organizations will stage public exhibitions of their support at upcoming matches.
For full list of the 79 SG’s participating in this initiative: http://BlackPlayersForChange.Org/Juneteenth
ABOUT BLACK PLAYERS FOR CHANGE
Black Players for Change (BPC) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization consisting of over 170+ Black players, coaches and staff of MLS, working to bridge the racial equality gap that exists in society. BPC is committed to tackling the racial injustices that have limited Black people from having an equitable stake in the game of soccer and society. Among the many goals the organization strives to advance the attention on human rights inequalities from protest to programs, partnerships and policies that address systemic discrimiation. For more information visit www.BlackPlayersForChange.org or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT BLACK WOMEN’S PLAYER COLLECTIVE
The Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC) is a nonprofit organization that elevates the image, value, and representation of Black women as athletes and leaders in business, industry, and public and private institutions. The BWPC currently consists of the 43 Black women competing in the NWSL as of 2020 and aims to provide a collective voice to the Black perspective and experience of a professional female athlete amidst the incessant and pervasive racial inequality and social injustice plaguing our country. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT BLACK PLAYERS ALLIANCE OF USL
The USLBPA was founded in August 2020 after we had a couple of episodes on Backyard Footy’s podcast. We started to realize that it would be important and powerful for us to come together as black players in the league to collectively express how we feel and what we want to see changed. From leading protests on the field during the 2020 season, to partnering with the USL headquarters to enact the United Against Racism campaign, the BPA continuously strives to make changes within the game.
ABOUT INDEPENDENT SUPPORTERS COUNCIL
The Independent Supporters Council is a collective of independent soccer supporters groups throughout North America. The Council serves as both an advocacy organization for supporters’ culture and as a clearinghouse for the exchange of ideas among our member groups. With more than 100 participating organizations across five professional leagues, the Council is an influential body focused on developing and celebrating the game of soccer in North America. To learn more, visit www.officialisc.com or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Sirena Amarikwa, Black Players for Change