Black Players for Change commemorates fifth anniversary with tifo campaign displayed across 11 MLS matches
BPC celebrates five years as a coalition with 35x35-foot tifo replicas across Major League Soccer matches to honor Black players, coaches, referees and supporters.
On Juneteenth 2020, Black Players for Change announced itself as the Black Players Coalition of Major League Soccer, 19 days before leading a 170-person, on-field protest at the MLS Is Back Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, standing in solidarity against systemic racism and inequity in America.
Five years on – during which 12 soccer mini-pitches were built nationwide, Black head coach representation grew from one to three, the MLS Advance diverse coaching pipeline was created, coalition leadership lobbied to combat strict state voting laws and successfully campaigned to end juvenile life without parole in Ohio, and orchestrated the two-year-old MLS-MLSPA Joint Anti-Discrimination Policy – BPC continues its call for social justice reform through unity and will commemorate its fifth anniversary with a synchronized, multi-visual testament to solidarity with the Black community across 11 MLS stadiums during matches played between June 13-21.
BPC has partnered with the Independent Supporters Council (ISC) to collaborate with 13 MLS club supporters’ groups to design and raise 35 x 35-foot tifos at Major League Soccer and FIFA Club World Cup matches during Juneteenth, incorporating two illustrations: a full-size silhouette of a player performing an equality celebration and a statement: “All. Black. Everything.”
“As BPC marks its fifth anniversary, this Tifo Movement stands as a profound declaration of our enduring commitment and the undeniable impact of Black Players for Change within the soccer community. This is more than just a campaign; it’s a powerful visual testament to the solidarity, resilience, and impactful presence of the Black community in soccer. We are uniting, we are celebrating our journey, and we are amplifying a message of strength and equality within the beautiful game.”
BPC partnered with ARTBUTE's head of global partnerships, Brian Lee McCloud, as the agency of record to identify and appoint award-winning illustrator Robert Generette III, also known as Rob Zilla, as the creative director for the tifo project.
Rob Zilla, hailing from the Washington, D.C. area, said the tagline “All. Black. Everything.” contains three independent statements woven into one to proactively dispel the alleged exclusion of people and their beliefs, yet is still rooted in the Blackness that has contributed to the American soccer community. All have been called to unite in the Juneteenth celebration.
“I wanted this tifo to be a bat signal, so to speak, for people around the league – to show their support, especially in these dark times that we’re in right now – because they’re just trying to shut everything down that has anything to do with including anybody.”
The ISC was established in 2009, and it’s relationship with BPC dates back to BPC’s inception in 2020, subsequently hosting a forum for BPC, Black Women’s Player Collective and USL Black Players Alliance leadership in January 2021 for its annual conference, which featured via Zoom BPC co-founders Justin Morrow and Jalil Anibaba, to connect the newly-founded coalitions with supporters’ groups across MLS, the National Women’s Soccer League and the United Soccer League ecosystems.
“This (collaboration) is just my reminder that we're going to have to be the ones in the room one day, speaking or creating those safe spaces or telling those stories for our Black peers and the Black players and the Black community,” said ISC vice president Nicole Hack.
“This (collaboration) is just my reminder that we’re going to have to be the ones in the room one day, speaking or creating those safe spaces or telling those stories for our Black peers and the Black players and the Black community.”
ISC, according to its website, “is a collective dedicated to promoting supporters' culture and advocating for fair treatment, both at home and on the road. With over (160) members in the U.S. and Canada across various leagues, including MLS, NWSL, USL, NPSL, WPSL, NISA, and CPL, we serve as a valuable resource for sharing information about supporters' issues.
One of those supporter groups is Black Herons United, an independent and inclusive group of Inter Miami CF that celebrates South Florida’s Black culture through soccer. Its leader, Jermaine Scott – an assistant professor in the Department of History at Florida Atlantic University whose research focuses on Africa America, the African diaspora, and race and sport – credits BPC for “keeping the foot on the pedal” in driving conversations surrounding the celebrations of Blackness in soccer.
Scott added that in the name of solidarity, it’s time for non-Black people in American society to do the same. The “All. Black. Everything.” commemoration is the callout.
“This moment – and I think solidarity in general — it's not just about people supporting each other, but people supporting those who are vulnerable to harm and to attack,” Scott said. “Solidarity is people pointing out when something's wrong, even when it doesn't affect them. So this is why I think, like the ‘all, period’ is important. It's not only just about Black Americans celebrating freedom but also white Americans also need to be celebrating this freedom.”
Scott added that Black Herons encapsulates the intersection of Blackness and soccer as seen through the African diaspora, not just the African-American experience. It’s the same African diaspora – players, coaches, executives and fans – who have demanded equity and change for centuries. But the next step, Scott said, is for the all in “All. Black. Everything.” to demand this change, too.
“We want statements. We want questions,” Rob Zilla added, “because that's gonna lead to a conversation.”
ABOUT DRAKE HILLS
Drake Hills is a contributor to Black Players for Change and has recorded the organization's work since its genesis. Drake is a San Diego native, a proud Oregon Duck and Northwestern Wildcat. Before his six years covering American soccer for the USA TODAY Network, Drake's world changed when he discovered Diasporic studies. He's been chasing stories that live at the intersection of Blackness and soccer ever since.
