WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University Athletics Department had 17 people attend the Eighth Annual Black Student-Athlete Summit, held Jan. 6-8. The virtual summit was hosted by the University of Texas and had record attendance with more than 1,300 participants. The Georgetown contingent featured seven student-athletes ranging six sports and 10 administrators as the Department boasted its largest group in the eight years of the event.

During the three-day event, athletes, coaches, administrators, athletic directors and professors from around the country addressed the many issues affecting our country specifically within the social justice space. Following a tumultuous summer, it was a chance for all parties to reflect on how everyone has a role to play in exposing inequities. The theme of this year's summit was "Woke! Now What?" and all participants received a leadership certificate for attending each of the 12 sessions on the student-athlete track.

Highlights

• Georgetown Executive Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Marissa Robinson presented on the first day in a session titled "Just in Case You Forgot, Your Staff is Black Too."
• The opening summit presentation was a conversation titled "Respect the Architect: The Life of John Thompson." It featured summit founder and Vice President of Diversity and Community Engagement at UT Austin Dr. Leonard Moore, Jesse Washington from ESPN's The Undefeated and Mike Jackson.
• Georgetown student-athlete and staff attendees met daily throughout the summit to reflect on their experiences and learning during the summit. After each day, the group was asked to create a phrase that characterizes their experiences that day, and what they learned.
• Assistant Director of Athletics for Marketing Vaughan Moss led a discussion entitled "Social Justice Storytelling."

Reflection Phrases

• Chelsea Smith (T&F) – "Turn failure into your superpower"
• Josh Stevens (FB) – "Be obsessed or be average"
• Maya Drayton (T&F) – "Building relationships is essential"
• Ruth Kayongo (VB) – "Be intentional with every decision"
• Sari Cureton (WBB) – "Know your worth"
• D'Andre Barriffe (T&F) – "Make them work for you as much as you work for them"
• Sharon Brummell (Staff) – "Stop asking and start doing!"
• Maya Ozery (Staff) – "Connection within a community can be powerful."
• Marissa Robinson (Staff) - "Success is in the execution"
• Shelly Habel (Staff) – "Continue to listen, learn, reflect, grow and advocate. The work is never done but is always changing-adapt!"
• Tony Mazurkiewicz (Staff) – "Accompaniment means working for a culture of excellence."
• Talareah Campbell (Staff) – "Advocate with purpose and on purpose!"
• Marshea Robinson (Staff) – "Today, I would use the word: 'change makers.' Our professional track included lots of individuals who are introducing cool new programs in their respective spaces. Lots of good inspiration"
• Jasmine Perkins (Staff) – "Every day is a new opportunity to 'build your brand'"
• Oliver Moe (Staff) – "Be the person you needed when you were younger"