Paul Tagliabue, the former NFL commissioner who also is co-chair of the RISE Board of Directors, speaks with outgoing RISE CEO Jocelyn Benson at the sixth annual DISC Sports Diversity & Inclusion Symposium. Their conversation was a keynote event of the symposium, which was hosted by RISE on Oct. 9 and 10 in Detroit. DISC stands for the Diversity & Inclusion Sports Consortium, whose members represent the country’s major sports leagues and organizations. They gather each year to discuss and create tangible solutions that drive greater diversity and inclusion in today’s sports culture. In this conversation, Tagliabue discusses his experience advancing diversity and inclusion throughout his personal and professional life and the core values that are required to create that type of culture. He also talks about his time leading the NFL and the impact of athlete activism.

Portland Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse says his passion for social justice and education reform stemmed from following the story of Trayvon Martin’s shooting death in 2012, when Ebobisse was just 15 years old. Now, as a professional athlete, Ebobisse has come to realize the power of his platform to advocate for such important causes and affect change. He discusses the core of these issues and his personal experience as an athlete addressing racism, activism and issues of inequality. Ebobisse also talks about the work RISE, the Timbers and Stand Together have done engaging youth and law enforcement in the Portland area to build skills such as perspective taking and strengthen communities.

David Baker, president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, talks about how he’s personally experienced the power of sports to unite people of different backgrounds and instill values of inclusion and equality. He also shares some of his favorite stories of telling players they’ve been voted into the hall of fame and discusses the #HuddleUpAmerica Town Hall that the hall of fame hosted with RISE and Jim Brown’s Amer-I-Can organization in September. The event brought youth and law enforcement together in Canton, Ohio, for leadership programming and discussions about increasing awareness, knowledge and skills to empower youth and communities to drive change.

Rashad Jennings, a former NFL running back and “Dancing with the Stars” champion, speaks about the responsibility athletes have to use their platforms to create positive change. Jennings shares some of the stories he told student-athletes at the University of Texas at Austin while speaking to them last month as part of RISE’s nonpartisan RISE to Vote campaign and gives insights from his new book, “The IF in Life,” including his personal experiences facing racism.

Professional javelin thrower Nika Ouellette grew up as one of four openly gay sisters, which she says allowed her to be herself and inspired her to advocate for LGBTQ equality and inclusion. Ouellette also discusses how she fell in love with the javelin throw, trying to qualify for the Olympics and the important role athletes at all levels can play in combating racism and homophobia. Ouellette participated in Athlete Activism and the Fight for Equality, an event hosted by RISE and Athlete Ally on Monday, July 16, at the Galen Center at USC. Professional athletes spoke with student-athletes from USC and UCLA about advocating for racial and LGBTQ equality and mobilizing the athletic community across various social justice movements.

Former NFL safety turned tech investor Ryan Mundy speaks about his first experience with racism, empowering student-athletes to advocate for equality and how he transitioned to life after football. He also shares what it was like playing in two of the greatest rivalries in football: Steelers-Ravens and Michigan-Ohio State. Mundy participated in Athlete Activism and the Fight for Equality, an event hosted by RISE and Athlete Ally on Monday, July 16, at the Galen Center at USC. Professional athletes spoke with student-athletes from USC and UCLA about advocating for racial and LGBTQ equality and mobilizing the athletic community across various social justice movements.

Part I of Athlete Activism and the Fight for Equality, an event by RISE and Athlete Ally featuring a panel moderated by The Undefeated’s Jemele Hill that included: MLS' Minnesota United FC’s Collin Martin – who recently came out as the only active gay male athlete in major American team sports; three-time Pro-bowler and Super Bowl champion Brendon Ayanbadejo; tech investor and Super Bowl champion Ryan Mundy; pro javelin thrower and All-American Nika Ouellette; and ESPN analyst and former NBA player Jay Williams. Hill speaks with Martin about his decision to come out on Twitter during the MLS season, gets insight from Williams and Mundy on how athletes can best utilize their platforms and asks Ayanbadejo and Oullette about what it means to be an ally for equality. The event, Monday July 16, was for student-athletes at USC and UCLA, and was meant to empower them to advocate for racial and LGBTQ equality and mobilize the athletic community across various social justice movements.

Taylor Peay of Real Salt Lake discusses the importance of teaching student-athletes about diversity and inclusion and having them explore the labels they use to describe their identities. Through his team, Peay recently participated in a RISE leadership workshop with student-athletes in the Salt Lake City area as part of Major League Soccer’s Soccer For All Month.

FC Dallas forward Francis Atuahene shares his journey from growing up in Ghana to playing professional soccer in the United States. He also talks about the importance of Major League Soccer’s Soccer For All Month and what he got out of participating in a RISE workshop with student-athletes in Dallas that focused on identity and diversity as part of that initiative.

Nine-year MLB veteran Doug Glanville taught a course called Communication, Sports and Social Justice at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania during the spring 2018 semester. The course examined the relationship between sports and the power to communicate for social justice. Glanville, a former ESPN MLB analyst who serves as a baseball insider for NBC Sports Chicago and contributing writer for The New York Times, joined the RISE Podcast to discuss what he and his students learned this semester and his personal experience with racial bias, media and developing relationships with law enforcement that inspired him to design the course and empower athletes to be effective advocates for social progress.