• OVC Social Justice Resource Page | #OVCforChange Engagement Series Archive
As part of the
#OVCforChange initiative, OVC student-athletes, coaches and administrators will engage in dialogue to help shape a course of action and invoke change on a variety of social issues impacting their lives.
This week's feature is with Belmont head women's basketball coach
Bart Brooks. He is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Bruins, and in his first three years has led the team to a 79-20 record, three OVC regular season and two tournament championships. A native of Buffalo, Wyoming, Brooks earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming.
Why is it important to be an advocate for social change/justice?
"If not me then who? If I don’t do it, then who will? It’s been far too easy for white Americans to label others as racist and distance ourselves from some of the violence and mistreatment of black Americans. It’s been far too easy for white Americans to feel sympathy for our black friends, but we never let it get inside our living rooms and effect our thinking. We all have a responsibility to offer help to those in need, and our black brothers and sisters are suffering. It has to get inside our living rooms and impact our lives in a way where we feel empathy and begin to make conscious changes and intentional effort to remove stereotypes and labels from our own thoughts and actions. We need to be active participants, to offer support and aid when we see a person marginalized in our society because of the color of their skin. If I don’t help, what will happen to our brothers and sisters?"
What are the responsibilities of the individual in regard to issues of social justice?
"We all have a responsibility to reflect on our own thoughts, actions and habits. There is great power in simple acts of kindness, a friendly smile or an intentional effort to connect with another person can have a major positive impact. We all share in the responsibility for creating a peaceful environment where equality is celebrated and expected, and no positive action is too small to make a difference."
What should we be doing as a society to combat social inequality?
"We all have good and bad inside of us, we all have the ability to be both. The more we understand that about ourselves, the more we can look at others and work to find the good, especially when there are differences of opinion. By seeing the good in people, finding commonalities and seeking connection, we begin the work of collaborating and working together for solutions. By focusing on the bad or the differences, we will continue building a larger barrier between ourselves and our neighbors. We are all in this together, and we all deserve equality and peace in our society."