WASHINGTON – Kyle Williams was quick to assure the group that “diversity training” was not in any way the goal of the experience. Williams, the Chief Empowerment Officer of A Long Talk About the Uncomfortable Truth, led the entire American University Athletics staff through a journey that helps tear down the walls of ignorance with the goal of empowering participants to become actively anti-racist.

Nearly 70 athletics staff and coaches went through the eye-opening experience over two weeks, with a Zoom session the first week followed by an in-person forum the second week. 

Natalie Rogers, the Associate AD for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and also the Senior Woman Administrator for AU Athletics, arranged to have Williams speak to the athletics staff. She found out about A Long Talk after colleagues at her alma mater, the University of Michigan, and others at the Ivy League had gone through the session. Lacrosse coach Lindsay Teeters had also gone through the experience with US Lacrosse, and highly recommended it to Rogers.

Williams has strong ties to collegiate athletics with two sons currently playing college basketball and another who’s on his way in 2024. Many of the groups who have gone through “A Long Talk” are college athletics staffs and teams, and during the sessions he shared stories of coaches who have made huge strides in anti-racism.

Prior to the beginning of the opening session, prework was required through the organization’s website. This prework is a multimedia collection of content reflecting the truth about the history of racism in the United States and the impact it continues to have on our society today.

During the experience, constant participation was encouraged as participants watched videos, heard speeches and listed to Williams’ own experiences that brought him to create this platform for change. More than four total hours would be valuable and welcomed by many participants, no doubt, but Williams and his team have seen real results come from their efforts.

“The results that we have seen can be described in a few ways,” he said. “First, we have seen a ‘humbling’ of people through their exposure to the prework. This is truly a war on ignorance and when people are introduced to the amount of ignorance that has been perpetuated against us American students, it gives them a sense of humility if nothing else. Secondly, once people know better it forces them to choose to do better. We have seen a lot of people expressing a deeper sense of empathy as a result of the conversation. Finally, we have seen a pretty high level of continued engagement. Through referrals, repeat business, participation in our monthly community events, and engagement on our social media platforms, we have built a thriving, connected community of empowered antiracists.”

The point that Williams really tries to hit home is that it is not enough for white individuals to be non-racist—to say they have Black friends, or to be comfortable around members of the Black community. One of the more powerful slides reminded participants of a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., that “the ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” To become anti-racist is to break that silence, to interrupt racism, and to encourage others to do the same.

Rogers is hopeful that members of the department will take what they learned and go forward from here.

“It was great to see the majority of our staff really engage with Kyle both virtually and definitely when he was on campus,” she said. “The dialogue and the conversations were helpful and much needed. My hope is that we continue to use A Long Talk’s various platforms of engagement to continue to work towards being an anti-racist organization. Based on what we learned as an athletic department, we should continue to bring awareness and educate ourselves on issues surrounding diversity and strive to foster an environment of respect and acceptance.”