EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of Augsburg University's participation in the NCAA's Diversity and Inclusion Week. Thursday's theme is "Together We Rise": outlining personal action steps to inclusive excellence and celebrating collaboration across our campus community. We encourage Auggies and others to share their thoughts on diversity and inclusion, and the steps we have done, and can do, to further this cause. Go to our athletic social media (@AugsburgAuggies on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and share your thoughts by using the hashtags #NCAAInclusion and #AuggiePride.

By Ashley Holmes, Assistant Sports Information Director

MINNEAPOLIS -- The killing of George Floyd was a wake-up call for many Americans on the racial injustice that occurs daily in our country. Augsburg University lies only a couple miles from where Floyd died, leaving our campus community deeply impacted and left with feelings of anger, frustration and a strong urge for a call to action. The Augsburg community is proudly diverse, and we all feel compelled to do better and be better for those of us who are marginalized and have to confront racial injustice daily.

Many of Augsburg's 22 varsity athletic teams have taken it upon themselves to have difficult conversations with each other, and dive into race and diversity education. They have followed through with actions to be a catalyst for change within our teams, in our athletic department, on our campus and in our community.

"Augsburg Athletics is committed to intentional diversity and fostering inclusive environments," said Christopher Dixon, Augsburg Athletics Director of Athletic Diversity and Inclusion. "We are courageously having conversations regarding race and social justice. We are educating ourselves how to be an institution that leads rather than follows. We have accepted the challenge of this incredibly important work and it is rising to this challenge that makes us proud to be Auggies."

The unrest sparked by Floyd's killing heavily impacted the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, which Augsburg calls home. This forced the Lake Street Cub Foods and Target to close, leaving many community members, including Auggies, unable to obtain critical items needed for daily life. Augsburg's men's basketball team was inspired to help just days after the unrest ceased, organizing a supply drive for Cedar-Riverside community members. People in more than 550 cars donated hundreds of household items, all brought to the nearby Brian Coyle Community Center for community distribution. It took three dozen trips from Augsburg to Brian Coyle to deliver all the donated items.

The Augsburg women's soccer team dove deeper into race and social injustice in America this summer through educational programming created by their coaching staff. Mike Navarre, entering his 22nd year as Augsburg's head coach, was the driving force behind creating the team's social justice education.

"I was compelled to initiate this and gather the involvement of the staff, because I viewed the George Floyd incident as a call to action," Navarre said. "I could not in good conscience just continue to be a soccer coach and teacher without formally addressing the reality of social injustice in our community. I was inspired to engage our program to reflect on our biases, lack of awareness, engagement, etc. and hopefully become a part of the change that is necessary to foster greater levels of equity and understanding in our community."

In response, his staff created a shared Google document that divided available materials such as books, news stories, TED talks and documentaries, into five different categories. From this document, the women's soccer team immersed themselves into racial awareness education. It had a strong impact on them all.

"This learning experience impacted me by opening my eyes to how unfair life can be at times if you are any other race than white. And knowing that all people do not get the same experiences based on your race is truly unjustified, and we as Americans need to strive to change that." -- Tessa Erickson, sophomore

"From the social justice work we did this past summer, I believe it has taught me to challenge the views that I have been familiar with. Especially being from a small town, I'm glad that I have immersed myself in a community like Augsburg and I am challenged to use my voice for the injustices that we see everyday." -- Samantha Donahugh, sophomore

"Throughout our work over the summer, I learned much more about white privilege and addressing it in myself. Not only is racism prevalent, but it is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and that mission starts with us." -- Tess Ryan, sophomore

Driven by wanting her student-athletes to see first-hand the impacts of racial injustice, Augsburg women's hockey Head Coach Michelle McAteer asked her team to watch the movie "13th" before taking them to the George Floyd memorial site in Minneapolis.

"George Floyd's death ignited the country," said McAteer, entering her 11th season as Augsburg's head coach. "It happened in our city, and affected us greatly. We shared our thoughts this past summer and encouraged our team to express themselves, but I thought it was important to visit the memorial. It's one thing to see it on the news or social media, but quite different in person. There are so many emotions present, ranging from pain, anger, sadness, to hope and optimism. Hockey is not a diverse community, but that is not an excuse to stand on the sidelines and stay silent. It's not easy or comfortable to engage in these issues, but that's the point -- change and growth should feel uncomfortable." 
 
Visiting the memorial site as a team left the women's hockey players deeply impacted and motivated to do what they can to fight for racial equity. 

"Going to the George Floyd memorial was such a humbling experience. It was really eye opening to go out and see how many lives have been affected by these continuing tragedies. It forces you to check your own privilege and better understand what the community is fighting for and what others deal with on a daily basis." -- Lanie Lobdell, senior

"Visiting the memorial site brought the depth of the situation to light. It was very powerful to experience this in general, and even more so as a team. It 100 percent inspired each and every one of us to go forth in our lives with the intention to make a change and an impact on the situation at hand." -- Carleigh Drill, sophomore

"Sometimes it can be easy to avoid or disconnect from a situation you do not see or experience directly. Going to the memorial site and seeing it with our own eyes put the situation into perspective and helped us connect to the truth. Following the experience, we as a team are even more committed to continue educating ourselves and playing our roles in making a change." -- Jenna Gerold, sophomore