As part of its Tigers Together initiative – an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion – Princeton Athletics has been working to uplift and enhance the experience of Black student-athletes and staff within Princeton Athletics, including increasing engagement with Black student-athlete alumni.
The department recently brought together pairs of Black athletic alumni to discuss their experiences as Black student-athletes and professionals. Moderated by Princeton Varsity Club Board Member Steve Mills ’81 and Princeton basketball teammate and current University Trustee Craig Robinson ’83, the conversations touched on the importance of leadership and allyship, finding community at Princeton, challenges as a Black Princeton student and Black professional and advice for current and future Tiger student-athletes.
Mills and Robinson were joined in conversation by Princeton Athletics alumni Thanithia Billings ’11 and Eric Plummer ’10 of track & field, Caraun Reid ’14 and Andrew Starks ’13 of football, Tani Brown ’10 and Krystal Hill ’11 of basketball, Kelsey Koelzer ’17 of ice hockey and Ehidiamen “Junior” Oboh ’18 of volleyball.
CLICK HERE to view the full alumni conversation.
Individual conversation chapters can be viewed below:
- The Importance of Leadership
- The Importance of Allyship
- Finding Community at Princeton
- Challenges as a Black Professional
- Challenges as a Black Princeton Student
- Advice for Tiger Student-Athletes
The conversations were shared by members of the Black Student-Athlete Collective (BSAC), Asian Student-Athletes of Princeton (ASAP) and Varsity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (VSAAC) with their fellow Tiger student-athletes. Additionally, the conversations were made available to Athletic Department staff and coaches, lead volunteers and other members of the Princeton community.
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About Tigers Together: In collaboration with student leaders, coaches, alumni, athletics administrators and University partners, Princeton Athletics established Tigers Together, an aggressive action plan to create and maintain a culture of mutual respect and unity and to use our platform to combat bias based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race and all other marginalized identities.
Click here to read more about the Tigers Together initiative, including the structure and charge of the Executive Committee and supporting Task Forces (i.e., Student-Athlete and Staff Experiences, Student-Athlete and Staff Recruitment, Alumni Engagement and Community Action), student-athlete affinity groups, helpful resources, and more.
