Recap – Culture in Conversation Series Session: Conversations Around Athlete Activism & Social Justice

by | Sep 22, 2020 | Updates

Session 1 – Tuesday, September 22 – Conversations Around Athlete Activism & Social Justice

This session features two keynote speakers who will take turns asking one another questions and answering them to build an overarching conversation. Topics addressed include: Race and racism, athlete activism, social/political change, organizational leadership, policy development, and more.
Background on Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Anthony Weems
Dr. Weems is an assistant professor of sport management at WCU. His teaching and research interests revolve around social, ethical, and legal aspects of sport. Specifically, his research focuses on leadership and policy development with an emphasis on race, equity, and (in)justice. He has authored several peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, scholarly blogs, and has presented at national and international conferences. He is the founder ofThe Sporting Justice Collectivewhich serves as a collaborative platform for anti-racist scholarship and activism in sport. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Sport Management from Texas A&M University and is currently in the process of writing his first book focused on team ownership, political economy, and the function of mediated sport in different contexts.
Dr. Billy Hawkins

Dr. Hawkins is a professor and interim chair at the University of Houston in the Department of Health and Human Performance. He is the author of several peer-reviewed articles and books including,The New Plantation: Black Athletes, College Sports, and Predominantly White NCAA Institutions; and co-author ofSport, Race, Activism, and Social Change: The Impact of Dr. Harry Edwards’ Scholarship and Service,The Athletic Experience at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Past, Present, and Persistence, andCritical Race Theory: Black Athletic Sporting Experiences in the United States.He received the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Distinguished Faculty Award at the University of Houston, is aNorth American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) Research Fellow and is a recipient of the Robert Maynard Hutchins Award for his research on intercollegiate athletics.He received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, M.S. from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, and B.S. in Business Administration from Webber International University. For information about Dr. Hawkins’ book you can reach him via email – hjbilly [at] central [dot] uh [dot] edu.