FRISCO, Texas (Feb. 1, 2021) – FC Dallas joined Major League Soccer today in announcing several programs that will be conducted throughout the month of February to celebrate Black History Month. FC Dallas along with MLS will highlight voices of the Black community, continue conversations about systemic racism and injustices, and provide educational resources and programming.
Activations throughout the month will emphasize the League’s continued efforts to foster more inclusive and equitable communities, drive positive social change and end discrimination.
FC Dallas will host a second Candid Conversations with FC Dallas players and staff. FC Dallas kicked off its Candid Conversations Series on June 18, 2020 to launch the club’s Connect|Create|Unite platform that fosters education, diversity and inclusion throughout Dallas-Ft. Worth and within the FC Dallas organization. Candid Conversations: Sports’ Role in Healing Racial Injusticefeatured head coach Luchi Gonzalez, FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer, former FC Dallas players Reggie Cannon and Fafa Picault, and Joli Robinson of the Dallas Police Department.
The FC Dallas Foundation is also sponsoring Dallas’ Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center’s Black History Month Virtual Celebration. The virtual celebration will have a virtual clip featured every Friday in the month of February. The virtual clips include entertainment, messages from the community center board, a main topic of conversation, highlights from confirmed community partners, and a Civil Rights Museum tour with segments featuring its tenants and services. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center will continue with its celebration theme “The Fierce Urgency of Now” during Black History Month.
FC Dallas and its Diversity and Inclusion Committee are also launching its internal Diversity and Inclusion training with guest speakers during the first virtual all-staff meeting of the year. In an effort to provide continuing education for FC Dallas staff and executives, this will focus on building a diverse work-force and eliminating implicit bias.
In January 2021, FC Dallas announced its Homegrown Partner Program that will help and serve local Black and minority-owned businesses. The program will provide five certified Black and minority-owned businesses with a $100,000 FC Dallas/North Texas SC customized sponsorship package. FC Dallas will commit $500,000 in sponsorship packages to its’ Homegrown Partners this year. The Homegrown Partner Program is currently accepting applications through February 12, 2021. For more information, please visit FCDallas.com/HomegrownPartnerProgram.
The first edition of the Soccer For All Speaker Series will launch in February, featuring Black executives who have ascended as leaders within the sport. Black Leaders in Soccer presented by MLS WORKS and Pitch Black, the League’s Black employee resource group, will discuss how to navigate change and create pathways to increase Black representation throughout the League. The Soccer For All Speaker Series will continue throughout 2021, highlighting voices from underrepresented groups. The series will feature a cross-section of leaders who will discuss topics relevant to various commemorative awareness months, including Women’s History Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
MLS is also teaming up with EVERFI, the leading social impact education innovator, to kick off a leaguewide Black History Month Challenge. The Black History Month Challenge provides middle and high school students a digital course on Black history, addressing racial injustice and economic inequality while celebrating important moments and facts about Black history that will inspire enduring conversations about race and allyship among young people today. Students who complete the course and submit an essay are entered into a contest for the chance to win prizes valued up to $20,000, including a $10,000 college scholarship. Students must be age 13 and older to participate in the essay contest.
In September 2020, MLS announced a partnership with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW). In addition to a financial commitment, MLS will collaborate with NCBW to develop long-term programming; focus areas will include workforce and leadership development and health and wellness initiatives. In celebration of Black History Month and as one of the first manifestations of the partnership, NCBW and MLS will host a virtual seminar in February for NCBW members and mentees to talk about the sport of soccer and the ways the game can serve as a vehicle to reach higher education and career opportunities. The virtual event will feature former men and women soccer players and showcase potential career paths within the soccer industry.
MLS will also feature a special slate of content across all League platforms that captures the spirit of Black History Month, celebrates Black trailblazers, and highlights stories and events that have made an impact on soccer. Pitch Black is also spearheading a variety of internal educational programing, presentations, and engaging content for League office staff.
The above initiatives build on the League’s long-term commitment to use its platform in the soccer community to build a more just and inclusive society. The programs follow the League’s previously announced formation of its Diversity Committee. In late 2020, the Diversity Committee meetings commenced, and the group continues to develop ways to increase Black representation within the soccer community, among other initiatives.
For more information on how MLS is celebrating Black History Month, visit MLSsoccer.com.
