News Detail
June 3, 2020 - Statement from Pacific Swimming's Athlete Committee
To fellow athletes and members of the Pacific Swimming Community,
We, the athlete committee, take a firm stance against any kind of racial injustice, and we want to reaffirm Pacific Swimming’s core values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our world and specifically within our swimming community. We acknowledge the lack of diversity in swimming and are committed to change, not only now but continuing into the future as we strive to create a safe space for athletes of all backgrounds. To the Black community: we see you, we hear you, we support you, and we stand with you. We encourage everyone to educate themselves and others. To be silent is to be complicit, but performative activism is not activism. We acknowledge that it takes time to process, but hope that the actions you take are not to prove something about yourself, but rather to demonstrate genuine support. We recognize those in our community who take a stand against the racial injustice that has been built into the fabric of our country, and our heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in this fight for justice.
Pacific Swimming values everyone’s voice. We encourage you to speak up for what you believe in and demonstrate support in every way you can, from attending protests, signing petitions, writing letters, donating, and so much more. We urge you to continue to engage in uncomfortable conversations as we strive to do within our committee. Here are some helpful resources with more information: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Pacific Swimming is committed to taking action together to dismantle bigotry and racism and to serve social justice to provide a safe environment; in our desire to improve the experiences of each swimmer in our community we invite our members to share how we can better support you during these tough times. Our dms and inboxes are always open and please do not hesitate to contact us. (diversity@pacswim.org, srathleterep@pacswim.org, jrathleterep@pacswim.org)
We hope you will join us in our efforts to be uncomfortable, to push our limits, to acknowledge how we may be part of the problem, and to do better.
Sincerely,
The Pacific Swimming Athlete Committee
