We are living in a time of powerful resurgence of the national discussion on racism, diversity, and inclusion. Many people, companies and organizations, including the USCA, have spoken out in support of taking that discussion more seriously now than ever. Within much of the curling community, discussions in the past about diversity have been severely inadequate and have often missed the point entirely. The Mountain Pacific Curling Association (MoPac) hopes not only to reaffirm our commitment to making curling a sport everyone can comfortably enjoy, but also to mark the beginning of a broader discussion of diversity and inclusion in our region. We all can and need to do a better job making the curling community a more welcoming place for everybody – especially people of color who are dramatically underrepresented in the sport. We invite all curlers within the MoPac region to help curling become that inclusive sport that we believe it can be. – The MoPac Diversity & Inclusion Committee
We hope to share resources to help us all better understand and articulate the journey we must take.
Glossary:
Glossary (Rise to Win, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and empowering the sports community towards social justice, has created a glossary of key terms as part of their Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality.) Such a glossary can be useful to provide all parties an opportunity to use shared, common language.
Handouts:
- Where to Begin with Inclusion & Diversity?
- Creating a Positive Environment.
- Materials in Spanish:
- Sample Learn to Curl brochure in Spanish
- Translation of Spanish LTC brochure
- Spanish-English Curling Glossary Note: This is a document in progress. If you have any edit suggestions feel free to let us know.
Webinars & Podcasts:
Curler Outreach Program’s Panel Discussion: #UnitedWeCurl initiative page.
Goldline‘s Instagram series re: Continue the Conversation with Dr. Richard Norman
- June 19, 2020 discussion with Erin Flowers (Part 1)
- June 19, 2020 discussion with Erin Flowers (Part 2)
- June 25, 2020 discussion with Rayad Husain
- July 3, 2020 discussion with Debra Martin
- July 24, 2020 discussion with Erin Flowers (Part 3)
- July 24, 2020 discussion with Erin Flowers (Part 4)
Rocks Across the Pond Podcast:
- How curling orgs can help foster diversity (Feb 25, 2021)
- Take this Hammer-Making our Community More Inclusive (June 11, 2020)
Game of Stones Podcasts on Equity in Curling (various episodes):
- Diversity in Curling Roundtable (June 17, 2020)
- Curling & Pride (July 1, 2020)
- Diversity, Inclusion & Growing the Sport (Aug 5, 2020)
- Growing the Game with Rocks & Rings (Aug 12, 2020)
- Identity, Race & Sports (Sept 9, 2020)
Interactive Modules:
The Rise to Win, a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations, created several interactive modules to create discussion around a number of areas. Their modules the following topics:
- Understanding our identities
- Building Community
- Diversity Concepts
- Inclusion, Exclusion & Racism
- Equality v Equity
- Racial Imagery
- Sports as a Vehicle for Change
- Understanding Power
- Social Media
- Practicing Empathy
General resources on inclusion:
- Love has no Labels page “How to promote inclusion“
- Implicit Bias Testing – Project Implicit (goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases)
- Telling our own story : The Role of Narrative in Racial Healing. A publication that integrates implicit bias insights with a discussion of how narrative can work to undo the harms of discrimination.
Webinars on inclusion not directly about curling:
- How to build LGBT Inclusion on your team or athletic department
- Supporting the Athlete in Society; Diversity & Inclusion in Sport SportPsych Works publication, Vol. 5, Issue 1
[Note: MoPac welcomes curlers who wish to be a part of the MoPac Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Those interested in joining us please contact Sonia Montero at president@mopacca.org ]