Implicit Bias Emboldens Racism
Harnessing Athletes Visible Platform To Listen, Educate, And Make Changes
On June 8th, 2020, my twin brother, Thomas Alford, and I presented to the University of Maryland lacrosse team about implicit bias and how it emboldens racism. Coach Tillman has been outspoken about his efforts to understand the injustices in our country and the need to start working together to make a change.
My brother and I know a little bit about lacrosse and racism. Thomas was a 4x ACC Academic Honor Roll and I was a U19 lacrosse world champion, a 2x All-American, and played professionally. While we faced racism at times throughout our careers, the Creator’s Game has been inclusive and overwhelmingly accepting of us.
When we aren’t coaching the next generation of leaders on and off the field, our work centers around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Thomas works at Oportun, a startup providing inclusive, affordable, financial services that empower diverse audiences to build a better future, and I work at humble ventures, a venture development firm focusing on diverse entrepreneurs and those building solutions for diverse audiences.
The discussion offered some ways to learn about our country’s history, its impact on the present, the underlying conditions that led to the murder of George Floyd, and actionable steps. We also shared stories about our experiences playing lacrosse, both negative and positive.
I hope this presentation is helpful to you. If you’d like us to speak to your team or staff, then contact us at the email addresses provided in the deck. Additionally, you can follow humble on Twitter or Medium and stay tuned for future humble programming.
Stay humble.
humble ventures is a venture development firm that drives innovation forward in partnership with startups, established enterprises, and investors.
We focus on diverse entrepreneurs that are solving problems for the fastest growing demographic segments. We believe that diverse entrepreneurs provide opportunities for disproportionate returns and represent the markets of the future.
