Athlete Ally Summit Proves Rewarding For Tar Heels

Three Tar Heels traveled to Seattle earlier this month for the second-annual Athlete Activism Summit and returned home with new connections and renewed motivation to work for change.

Anton Down-Jenkins (men's swimming and diving), Jimmy Lynch (field hockey) and Shelley Johnson (Student-Athlete Development) represented UNC's Athlete Ally chapter at the event, which brought together student-athletes, coaches, staff members and supporters from schools across the country.

"Attending the Athlete Ally summit was extremely rewarding," said Down-Jenkins, a diver from Wellington, New Zealand who graduated in May. "Not only did it let me expand my support network of LGBTQ+ athletes and allies in sport across the country, but it also allowed me to deepen my understanding of the systems of power and privilege that still need to be addressed and broken down in order for every athlete to feel safe, seen, and welcome in sport. I think the biggest take away for me is that my confidence in my ability to use my voice, and know that is has value, has grown significantly."

UNC's chapter of Athlete Ally is relatively new – restarted two years ago following a pause during the pandemic – and continues to grow. The group promotes Athlete Ally's mission: the commitment that everyone should have equal access and opportunity in sports, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Athlete Ally aims to end homophobia and transphobia in sport and empower student-athletes and staff to lead in the fight for equality.

The University of Washington Athletic Department and adidas teamed with Athlete Ally to cohost the summit, which included speakers, discussions and breakout sessions.

"It was an amazing experience," said Lynch, a rising senior from Fairfield, N.J., who is a practice player for the Carolina field hockey team. "Seattle was gorgeous and so cool to explore, and I learned so much from the actual convention, from running our club at UNC to Athlete Ally's overall mission."

Johnson is an Assistant Athletic Director and the Executive Director of UNC's Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy. She works closely with UNC's Athlete Ally chapter, which is open to all student-athletes.

"I think the summit was especially rewarding for our student-athletes because of the sense of community and connection," Johnson said. "Our Athlete Ally chapter is still relatively new so it was great to learn about the experiences that others around the country have had. It motivated all of us to continue to build on the foundation we have."

In addition to Lynch and Down-Jenkins, rower Molly Warden has been a driving force behind the UNC group's growth but was unable to attend the summit because she's currently studying abroad in the Galapagos Islands.

For Down-Jenkins, an Olympian who earned All-America honors seven times during his three seasons at UNC, the summit fell during his pivot from undergraduate student-athlete to graduate student, as he prepared to start working toward a master's degree from UNC this fall.

"While my time as a student-athlete may be over, my time at UNC continues as I pursue my master's in sport administration," he said. "I'm excited about continuing to work with the UNC Athletic Department to keep working towards being as inclusive as possible and to pass on my knowledge to student-athletes to advocate for change."

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