Facing Uncomfortable Truths featuring Richard Lapchick and moderated by Marc Pollick!

Original Program Date: February 17, 2021

Lapchick led participants through a discussion of the uncomfortable truths recently reopened during the racial reckoning including drawing the line of modern-day racism directly back to the origins of slavery. We will discuss how the Me Too! movement opened up broader discussions on sexism and misogyny. The Washington football teams renaming helped us look at the genocide of indigenous people as part of the founding of America. Closer to home he will talk about the Pulse nightclub shooting and it’s illumination of how far we have to go to conquer homophobia. Finally, he will talk about the pandemic violence in our nation.

During his presentation, Richard recommended the following books: (the titles link to Amazon)

Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof

A Call To Action by Jimmy Carter

More about Richard E. Lapchick:

Human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, internationally recognized expert on sports and social issues, scholar and author Richard E. Lapchick is often described as “the racial conscience of sport.”

He brought his commitment to equality and his belief that sport can be an effective instrument of positive social change to University of Central Florida in August 2001 where he launched the DeVos Sports Business Management Program.

In 2015 it was named the number 2 program in the world by SportsBusiness International.

Lapchick is a prolific writer. His 17th book was published in 2018. Lapchick is a regular columnist for ESPN.com and The Sports Business Journal.

He has spoken in the United States Congress, at the United Nations, in the European Parliament and at the Vatican

He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of the Commonwealth Nations in the category of Humanitarian along with Arthur Ashe and Nelson Mandela.

Lapchick was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. He was named as one of Beyond Sports Inspirational 50 people (living and passed) who used sport to change the world along with Billie Jean King, Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela.

Lapchick was named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sports

He has received 10 honorary degrees

Lapchick was one of 200 guests personally invited by Nelson Mandela to his inauguration after leading the American sports boycott of South Africa from 1975 until the end of Apartheid.

Special guest Marc Pollick introduced Richard!

Marc Pollick is an internationally recognized speaker, writer and consultant on philanthropy and charitable giving, who has guided the philanthropic efforts of an impressive clientele of celebrities, professional athletes, high net worth individuals and corporations.

He has been featured and interviewed by a vast array of news, sports, entertainment and philanthropy media including ESPN, HBO Sports, Forbes, USA TODAY, and Foundation News and is a guest columnist on philanthropy for Sports Business Journal. Marc believes that everyone has an inherent desire to give back and leave some mark on society beyond fortune and fame. He is passionate about helping successful individuals identify and express that desire through consulting, mentoring and management of philanthropic assets.

Prior to entering the philanthropic world, Marc had an extensive career in academic Holocaust Studies, working with 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Elie Wiesel. He was Founding Executive Director of the Zachor Institute for Holocaust Studies and founded The Elie Wiesel Institute for Humanitarian Studies. Marc has been recognized for his achievements as a recipient of the prestigious University of Chicago Alumni Award for Public Service and as a 2019 inductee into the Cleveland Heights High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

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