True Community Outreach
COVID-19 might have shut down most high school sports in Central Virginia, but no way has it shut down the positive initiatives of 804 Coaches for Change.
So what has the organization been up to since it was created back in early June in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department?
On that Saturday morning, the advocates for social justice participated in a call-to-action program at the Arthur Ashe Monument, then walked the 1.3 miles to the Robert E. Lee Statue in a heartfelt display of unity.
That was just the start.
After the governance of the organization was set with Darryl Watts, head boys basketball coach at Armstrong, as president, the next step was the establishment of the CARES League – Conversations about Race and Equality – in which basketball team members and coaches convened over Zoom to discuss issues that would help them understand each other’s journey.
During the summer, Collegiate players connected with their counterparts from John Marshall and Henrico, and St. Christopher’s players with those from Armstrong.
“It’s been really good to hear our young people articulate how they’re feeling,” said Del Harris, Collegiate’s head boys basketball coach, Team Richmond AAU director, and vice-president of the 804 Coaches for Change board. “It was awesome to hear their views: We want to be treated fairly. We want to understand each other. We want to be compassionate.”
As a follow-up, Collegiate players recently video-conferenced with St. Christopher’s. Why, considering that the demographics are similar and the premise was to connect diverse groups?
“We’re archrivals, of course, but we’re very like-minded in a lot of ways,” Harris said. “We learned from each other. Witnessing it was really powerful. We use the word ‘bubble.’ We brought together two schools in the same bubble to see how they can help each other. It was very beneficial. There was a level of comfort because there were similar ways, similar ideas, similar thinking.
“Some (players) didn’t realize that they didn’t see much diversity throughout their high school career. It was, ‘Wow, I never thought about that. I didn’t think about social justice. I didn’t think about diversity and inclusion. I didn’t think about the black classmates or black faculty.’ There was a comfort level (in the discussions) and also awareness.”
And heightened sensitivity and appreciation of the journey.
“That was the gist,” Harris said. “For a black student to say, ‘Hey, when I hang out with predominantly all white guys, I’m not treated differently. But then we go to the mall, I’m the black guy in the store with a skull cap on or a toboggan (hat) or my hat backwards. Even though I have St. Chris or Collegiate across my chest, why are they treating me differently? That conversation and awareness was really, really good.
“There’s even the stereotype a St. Christopher’s or Collegiate kid feels. They were able to express that. They want the image in the community that they’re down-to-earth, good people, that they care, that they don’t think they’re better than anybody else. They don’t want the image communicated that they’re elitist, that they’re not compassionate or sensitive, or they don’t want to reach out to others. That was clear. This generation gets it. They’re going to unite and bring people together.”
The 804 Coaches group sponsored weekly Community Night events through the fall and will begin the program again once COVID numbers decline. Community Nights are clinics held at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club in Church Hill and only tangentially related to basketball.
The two-hour sessions (open to roughly 30 participants grades 5 through 10) include dinner, a DJ, door prizes, guest speakers whose message is leadership, citizenship, respect, and overcoming adversity.
Among numerous presenters have been Rodney Williams (St. Christopher’s and Drexel graduate who plays professional basketball), Dr. Antionette V. Irving (Richmond City sheriff, a stellar college and high school athlete, and a long-time basketball official), and Luqman Jaaber (who starred at George Wythe and Virginia Union, played professionally, and now serves as a mentor and skills development coach).
“Basketball gives us the platform to make a difference,” Harris said. “It’s coming together in a safe place for two hours. We don’t play games. We just stay social distanced and do drills and just about leadership. It’s boys and girls. A lot of those kids live in that neighborhood. We make sure they get home safely. They may ride their bike home. It they do, make sure you call your mom and let her know you’re on the way.
“It’s true community outreach. Kids need something positive and safe to do with safety protocols. For us, it’s about action and impact. We give them a positive voice for a couple of hours on a Friday night, tell them to keep working hard in school, stay safe, we believe in you. Basketball brings us together, but it’s’ not really about basketball.
“Coach Watts says it best: ‘I’m a life coach.’ We’re about action, not words. We’re not doing this to get on the news. We’re not doing this for show. We’re doing this to help young people.”
~ Weldon Bradshaw
Back
Plenty, it turns out, including a Zoom Town Hall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day which enlightened players and coaches from local high school basketball teams about the legacy and impact of Dr. King.
The organization’s first and most visible initiative, though, was a peaceful protest June 6 that attracted upwards of 400 coaches (including 10 from Collegiate) as well as like-minded supporters of the notion that all men are created equal and that fairness, decency, and respect must reign.
On that Saturday morning, the advocates for social justice participated in a call-to-action program at the Arthur Ashe Monument, then walked the 1.3 miles to the Robert E. Lee Statue in a heartfelt display of unity.
That was just the start.
After the governance of the organization was set with Darryl Watts, head boys basketball coach at Armstrong, as president, the next step was the establishment of the CARES League – Conversations about Race and Equality – in which basketball team members and coaches convened over Zoom to discuss issues that would help them understand each other’s journey.
During the summer, Collegiate players connected with their counterparts from John Marshall and Henrico, and St. Christopher’s players with those from Armstrong.
“It’s been really good to hear our young people articulate how they’re feeling,” said Del Harris, Collegiate’s head boys basketball coach, Team Richmond AAU director, and vice-president of the 804 Coaches for Change board. “It was awesome to hear their views: We want to be treated fairly. We want to understand each other. We want to be compassionate.”
As a follow-up, Collegiate players recently video-conferenced with St. Christopher’s. Why, considering that the demographics are similar and the premise was to connect diverse groups?
“We’re archrivals, of course, but we’re very like-minded in a lot of ways,” Harris said. “We learned from each other. Witnessing it was really powerful. We use the word ‘bubble.’ We brought together two schools in the same bubble to see how they can help each other. It was very beneficial. There was a level of comfort because there were similar ways, similar ideas, similar thinking.
“Some (players) didn’t realize that they didn’t see much diversity throughout their high school career. It was, ‘Wow, I never thought about that. I didn’t think about social justice. I didn’t think about diversity and inclusion. I didn’t think about the black classmates or black faculty.’ There was a comfort level (in the discussions) and also awareness.”
And heightened sensitivity and appreciation of the journey.
“That was the gist,” Harris said. “For a black student to say, ‘Hey, when I hang out with predominantly all white guys, I’m not treated differently. But then we go to the mall, I’m the black guy in the store with a skull cap on or a toboggan (hat) or my hat backwards. Even though I have St. Chris or Collegiate across my chest, why are they treating me differently? That conversation and awareness was really, really good.
“There’s even the stereotype a St. Christopher’s or Collegiate kid feels. They were able to express that. They want the image in the community that they’re down-to-earth, good people, that they care, that they don’t think they’re better than anybody else. They don’t want the image communicated that they’re elitist, that they’re not compassionate or sensitive, or they don’t want to reach out to others. That was clear. This generation gets it. They’re going to unite and bring people together.”
The 804 Coaches group sponsored weekly Community Night events through the fall and will begin the program again once COVID numbers decline. Community Nights are clinics held at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club in Church Hill and only tangentially related to basketball.
The two-hour sessions (open to roughly 30 participants grades 5 through 10) include dinner, a DJ, door prizes, guest speakers whose message is leadership, citizenship, respect, and overcoming adversity.
Among numerous presenters have been Rodney Williams (St. Christopher’s and Drexel graduate who plays professional basketball), Dr. Antionette V. Irving (Richmond City sheriff, a stellar college and high school athlete, and a long-time basketball official), and Luqman Jaaber (who starred at George Wythe and Virginia Union, played professionally, and now serves as a mentor and skills development coach).
“Basketball gives us the platform to make a difference,” Harris said. “It’s coming together in a safe place for two hours. We don’t play games. We just stay social distanced and do drills and just about leadership. It’s boys and girls. A lot of those kids live in that neighborhood. We make sure they get home safely. They may ride their bike home. It they do, make sure you call your mom and let her know you’re on the way.
“It’s true community outreach. Kids need something positive and safe to do with safety protocols. For us, it’s about action and impact. We give them a positive voice for a couple of hours on a Friday night, tell them to keep working hard in school, stay safe, we believe in you. Basketball brings us together, but it’s’ not really about basketball.
“Coach Watts says it best: ‘I’m a life coach.’ We’re about action, not words. We’re not doing this to get on the news. We’re not doing this for show. We’re doing this to help young people.”
~ Weldon Bradshaw
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