Two Bronx Students Awarded ESPN’s Inaugural Billie Jean King Award for Fighting Inequity in High School Sports
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“I am thrilled to receive the award, and was so happy to meet Billie Jean King, but our work isn’t finished. We still have a lot of work to get done to achieve equity in sports in our city,” Lisa said after receiving the award.
The average Black or Latino high school student in the city has access to approximately 10 fewer teams than city students of other races. Fair Play combats these statistics through all forms of advocacy, including lobbying, education efforts, media and press strategies, and potential legal recourse. The organization aims to create systemic change within the DOE. Fair Play and its advocates demand equal access to teams and facilities for all students regardless of race, location, size of school, or language ability.
“The recognition is a great honor and we thank ESPN for it,” Matt said. “[We] look forward to thinking about next steps to bring about progress with the contacts we made last week because the world still needs a lot of change.”
Main Image: Matt and Lisa receiving the Billie Jean King Award. Courtesy of NYLPI.
