BALTIMORE, MD –  The Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics and Recreation's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team is among the many University organizations that hopes to meet in-person at some point during the coming spring semester.  With the return of students in mid-January to the Homewood campus, a sense of normalcy, or something close to it, has galvanized members of the Blue Jay community.
 
The DEI Team, nearly a year in the planning and formation before being officially unveiled early in the fall, made the most of its first full semester despite, like every other part of Johns Hopkins, existing in a virtual environment.
 
The highly-interactive Jays' Talk Inclusion Series (Jays' Talk) provided an opportunity for the nearly 100 full and part-time members of the department to engage in small and large-group discussion on a number of topics related to race, bias and historical perspectives.
 
The 10-member DEI Team met weekly to develop the initiatives presented, discussed opportunities for engagement with groups outside the department and shared feedback and dialogue from the Black Student-Athlete Association (BSAA) and Athlete Ally. Other student-athletes were engaged throughout the fall as they hosted a number of discussions on a variety of topics with experts and former student-athletes as guest speakers; each of these panels was hosted and moderated by current student-athletes.  A virtual workshop on Race in Sport jump-started the semester-long programming and initiatives, which also included a book club that was spearheaded by Diarra Oden (women's basketball) and Tim Treinen (men's soccer) and sparked dialogue among attendees.
 
Looking ahead to the spring semester, the DEI Team is working on a staff workshop along with a joint initiative that will again bring together staff and student-athletes in developing additional topics for the monthly Jays' Talk discussions. These sessions will be specifically focused on bringing our entire athletic community together and continue our commitment toward developing long term and sustainable change at Hopkins.  
 
What They Are Saying
"I am so proud of the work our DE&I Team has done to elevate the conversation and provide an infrastructure for creating meaningful change.  Our department is committed to doing "the work", and we recognize that this is not a one-off, but instead needs to be part of our culture.  The formation of the BSAA, the Jays Talk series, and the integration of our DE&I efforts across all of our work have all created some real momentum.  I have learned a lot myself, we have grown closer as a department, and we're collectively inspired to continue to make a difference in the shared experience of our student-athletes, staff, and community."
Jennifer S. Baker
Director of Athletics & Recreation
 
"The DEI team has done a fantastic job of creating opportunities for our staff to learn and have great thought-provoking discussions.  The hope is that coaches and staff have meaningful takeaways that they can apply to their teams and/or colleagues.  Not only has our DEI programming brought us closer as a DEI team, but I believe we have brought the department closer together and provided opportunities to build camaraderie across the department where there would have not been the opportunity otherwise." 
Daniel Kifle
Assistant Director of Recreation – Facilities & Acquatics
DEI Team Member
 
"Among the BSAA, we saw our success within the engagement at different events, the commitments to enriching conversation and education and fostering an inclusive community.  With the DEI team, success has been displayed through the increase in participation, implementation of input from all sources, and acknowledging, addressing, and reflecting on the intersectionality of different individuals and their roles. I am looking forward to joint sessions with students and staff not only with the BSAA, but also with Athlete Ally as we foster inclusivity.  I look forward to the impact it has on individuals and team cultures."
Chid Nnake
Member of Men's Basketball Team
Executive Board Member, Black Student-Athlete Association
 
Working with the DEI team continues to be an incredible experience for me.  During a time full of many unique challenges, we've been able to build a framework that will continue to serve our department in our equity and anti-racist journeys together as well as individually.  Monthly Jays Talk Inclusion sessions keep racial justice at the forefront and have allowed for much peer-led learning.  I am so eager to continue our endless commitment to inclusive excellence and to helping to shape a more just and equitable future for our athletes and our staff. 
Jane Wells
Senior Woman Administrator/Head Field Hockey Coach
DEI Team Member