WASHINGTON – The American University Athletics Student-Athlete Support Program (SASP) welcomed social justice educator Jen Fry on Monday, September 23, for the debut of the 2019 SASP Speaker Series.
 
"Having Jen Fry on campus to speak with our student-athletes and coaches was an amazing experience," said Senior Academic Counselor Spencer Bonahoom, who oversees student-athlete development and leadership. "We wanted to bring her in to help educate our department in the important areas of race, diversity, inclusion and equity.
 
"Jen went well beyond that by helping attendees establish definitions and a shared language around these crucial topics," Bonahoom continued. "I think the conversation was most impactful because Jen provided tangible examples of how we can all become racism disruptors, taking action to be anti-racism rather than neutral bystanders."
 
Fry's discussion, designed to pull the audience outside of its comfort zone, incorporated real world examples and small group discussions to define not only racism, but also what it means to be antiracist and create a more inclusive society.
 
Fry is currently a Ph.D. student in geography at Michigan State University who has over 15 years of experience coaching collegiate volleyball at Elon, Illinois, Washington State, and Norfolk State. Now, she owns JenFryTalks, a social justice education firm that "uses conversation to educate and empower those within athletics through an anti-racist lens on issues of race, inclusion, intersectionality, diversity, and equity".
 
Since founding the organization in 2016, Fry has traveled all over the country to educate and empower those within athletics, speaking and/or consulting with organizations like the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Women's Leadership Initiative, Black Student-Athlete Summit, along with a growing list of collegiate athletic departments. She also led a TedxDuke talk titled "Radical Social Justice Education Through High Fives".
 
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