HIGH FIVE

Deserving athletes, teams, leagues, organizations, and corporations as well as high profile celebrities receive High Fives for their contributions to promoting diversity, inclusion, equality-equity and acceptance for all.

Los Angeles Lgbt Center

… for launching Black History Month by commemorating “The Future is Black: Renaissance, honoring Big Freedia, newly-minted Grammy winner for Best Dance Recording, with their Bayard Rustin Award for her fearless advocacy of the LGBTQ+ community. Sitting down with content creator and activist, AmbersCloset (Amber Whittington) for a moving keynote conversation, she explored her journey through the entertainment industry, her advocacy and her role in Renaissance, the groundbreaking album by Beyoncé.

… for competing at the Paris National Swimming Championships this past December at 26 weeks pregnant and for sharing the journey she and husband, Jay have faced to have their child that’s due in March. She has no childbearing issues but Jay has a low sperm count, resulting in their use of IVF. To change the narrative, they’re vocal about the stigma attached to male infertility and to elite athletes with disabilities becoming mothers.

LEBRON JAMES | 38-YEAR OLD NBA SUPERSTAR

… for breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s almost 40-year record of 38,387 career points during a February 7 game between the LA Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder with a current career total of 38,390 points. Abdul-Jabbar and James embraced at center court following the record-breaking third quarter bucket. There to witness the great moment were James’ mother, wife and three children, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Nike founder Phil Knight and basketball greats Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo and Dwyane Wade.

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KAPPA AND PROTECT OUR WINTERS (POW)

… for using athletes’ speed suits to advocate for systemic solutions to climate change these three organizations represent. Produced in an environmental sustainability-certified factory, the suit features large chunks of icebergs sailing in the ocean based on a satellite image of ice breaking due to high temperatures. The Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team wear the suits throughout World Championships held in Courchevel, France; suits will then be auctioned off, with proceeds going to POW.

Making History

• SUPER BOWL LVII

… for the first championship contest in NFL history where – two starting quarterbacks will be Black: Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes versus Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and – two brothers will face each other: Travis Kelce, 33 TE for the Chiefs and Jason, 35, C for the Eagles

• AUTUMN LOCKWOOD, ASSSISTANT COACH WITH NFL PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

… for becoming the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl. She’s the team’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

• NICOLE LYNN, BLACK SPORTS AGENT

… for becoming the first Black female sports agent to represent an NFL player (Jalen Hurts) in the Super Bowl.

• HUDSON TAYLOR, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETE ALLY, FORMER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY WRESTLING COACH

… for being named to his alma mater’s Class of 2022 University of Maryland Wrestling Hall of Fame.

• TONY HAWK, LEGENDARY SKATEBOARDER for announcing he’ll donate profits from an upcoming photo sale to the Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund which includes plans to build a skatepark in Nichols’ honor. Nichols was a member of the Memphis skateboarding community.

• NASA for awarding $11.7 M to eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities through a new Data Science Equity, Access and Priority in Research and Education, enabling HBCU students and faculty to conduct innovative data science research that contribute to NASA’s missions.

BY CONNIE WARDMAN, M.A., SDLT

COURTESY OF JAIME O’NEILL