Women Shed Light On The State Of Women’s Soccer
Photo: Shara Talia Taylor – NY Beacon Assistant Sports Editor
By Shara Talia Taylor – Assistant Sports Editor
A panel of women in soccer came together at the Jackie Robinson Museum last week to share their experiences and to discuss the growth of the presence of women of color in the sport.
Panelists paid tribute to Jackie Robinson’s legacy by showing how they’re “Leveling the Playing Field”, part of the event title. Like Robinson these women have broken barriers in their sport and created opportunities for the next generation.
“When you think about the legacy of Jackie Robinson and his wife Rachel Robinson, we want to make sure that people continue to get the opportunity to learn about the values of Jackie Robinson, to learn about how they’ve impacted today, (and) to learn about the issues that we face today and how Jackie dealt with some of the very same issues that we’re dealing with today,” said Ivo Philbert, Vice President of External Engagement for the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
Philbert arranged external engagement, communications and execution for the event. He said it gives people the opportunity and the space to learn and engage with trailblazers in the sport.
“Jackie was a barrier breaker (and) these black women are barrier breakers,” he said. “They are in a male dominant space, and as you heard in the program, dealing with the micro aggressions (and) dealing with folks who don’t think they’re good enough or have the right look”.
The event was arranged by the museum’s education team. Panelists included moderator and Sports Host Renee Washington, Brown University Head Women’s Soccer Coach Kia McNeill, President of Business Operations for D.C. United Danita Johnson (the first Black president of an MLS club), Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation Bekah Salwasser, and Sports Broadcaster Darian Jenkins.
“This panel gave me life,” Jenkins said. “It was so amazing to sit in a room and look out and see an audience that reflects me and my experiences and be able to share my story and listen to everybody else’s.”
Jenkins started soccer while growing up in Utah. She played soccer at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and said Jackie Robinson was a part of the reason why the college was on her radar. “The history of him being there, the barriers he broke, the other athletes he inspired, female athletes he inspired,” she said. “I think it paved the way for people like me who see themselves, especially in a predominantly white sport, to know that I can do it and see myself in these positions.”
Topics discussed included pay equity, increasing diversity in women’s soccer, the financial cost to play and career paths in sports. The panelist discussed their journeys playing soccer in high school, college and beyond. They found ways, post playing, to continue to be involved with the sport and other sports in careers including broadcast, college coaching, youth sports and the front offices of professional sports. They now try to encourage young ladies of color to pursue soccer. “I’d like to see it change so that young girls have female coaches at the youngest level all the way through up into the professional level,” Salwasser said.
She coaches her children’s soccer team. “Club coaches, I think they really need to find scholarship programs to really help young women of black and brown communities be able to be a part of their team, because I don’t think you should have to pay at the highest level to play at the highest level,” McNeill said.
Philbert hopes the conversation continues to bring people together to break barriers in the spirit of Jackie Robinson.
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