Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Mission Statement

USA Volleyball is committed to being a leader within the volleyball world and beyond by increasing and celebrating diversity, actively addressing any inequities within the organization and the sport, and creating an environment of inclusion in which all people feel safe, respected and valued. USA Volleyball is devoted to:

Prioritizing diversity by understanding USA Volleyball’s current demographics, setting target goals in key areas, and establishing a plan to increase representation and voice of underrepresented groups at all levels of play and leadership.

Increasing equity by finding new strategies around lowering the barriers to entry, offering resources and creating opportunities for members of historically marginalized communities to get involved in and/or advance in the sport.

Creating a culture of inclusion by establishing culturally competent training and educational resources across the organization and membership, as well as implementing proactive policies and operations within USA Volleyball and its regions.

Committees

In order to reach our DEI goals, USA Volleyball has established three committees.

USA Volleyball Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force: A board-level committee focusing on DEI issues across the sport in the United States

USA Volleyball Staff DEI Team: Comprised of USAV staff and an athlete representative, this team is committed to individual and organizational staff efforts to build respect, fairness, dignity and equality by creating awareness and challenging beliefs through education and training.

USA Volleyball RVAA Diversity and Inclusion Task Force: This task force consists of region commissioners, minority club directors from boys and girls clubs, minority Olympic athletes, and a member of the USAV Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. The task force was formed to research and offer information, resources and recommendations on ways to bring awareness to discrimination and increase playing, coaching and leadership opportunities for minority and underserved populations. More information can be found on the RVAA website.

Programs and Initiatives

The USOPC Award and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAC) Grant

The USOPC awarded USA Volleyball with the 2020 DEI Choice Award. The award recognizes a National Governing Body (NGB) or high performance management organization (HPMO) for best practices in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, as determined by a vote of NGB and HPMO peers. USAV won the award based on its 2019 grant of $400,000 to Historically Black Colleges and Universities to help launch Division I and II men’s volleyball programs. Read more about the award.

In September 2019, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAC) announced the addition of men’s volleyball as the league’s 14th-sponsored sport. The addition was possible because of a $1 million grant from First Point Volleyball Foundation and USA Volleyball. The league is scheduled to begin in the 2020-21 season. Read more about the grant.

Partnerships and Collaborations

• Starlings, Inc.
• A Starlings Heart (7/29/20)
• How Michigan Elite Became a Starlings Sister Club (8/31/2020)
• Club Cactus Juniors: Helping More Kids Play Volleyball (9/29/20)

General External Resources

Terminology

Need to brush up on your terminology? Read James E. Wright’s The Language of Inclusion (PDF)

Organizations Specializing in DEI and Sport

• RISE
  • Take note of RISE’s digital learning series, which covers bias, equality vs. equity, empathy, identity, leadership, privilege, racism, sports as a vehicle for change. Topics are covered via readings, video and interactive activities.
• Inclusion Playbook
  • Watch for upcoming webinars.

Professional Training Organizations

• Traliant
• Short vignettes from BlindSpots on YouTube
• Full Training Suite that includes some free training offerings

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Top TED Talks

• How to Get Serious About Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace – Janet Stovall
• Colour Blind or Colour Brave? – Mellody Hobson
• How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias – Valarie Alexander
• How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them – Verna Myers
• Three Ways to be a Better Ally in the Workplace – Melinda Epler

YouTube: Inclusion Starts with “I”

Vollequality: Take the Pledge

Implicit Bias

• Free Microsoft online interactive course

Microaggressions

• 21 Microaggressions (PDF)
• Microaggressions in the classroom

Mental Health

• National Alliance on Mental Health home
• Mental Health by the Numbers
• Parent Education 
• Featured videos and Inspiring Stories
• What You Need to Know About Mental Health (PDF)

Intersex Awareness

• Five Myths We Need to Shatter – Amnesty International

LGBTQ Resources

• Supporting LGBT Youth – National Education Association
• Gender Spectrum
• The Trevor Project
• Sports Equality Foundation
• Headstrong Mindset
• Vollequality

Disability

• Supporting Employment for People with Disabilities
• Increasing Access and Awareness Poster
• PSAs
  • Who I Am
  • I Can

Transgender Awareness and Transgender Remembrance Day

• GLAAD Transgender Resources
• Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020 Statistics – Forbes
• Transhood – HBO documentary (trailer)
• Disclosure – Netflix documentary (trailer)

Anti-Asian Violence

Resource Websites
Statistics, Updates, Education and Allyship

Articles
Anti-Asian Attacks Rise During Pandemic (NPR)
Asian-Americans Are Being Attacked. Why Are Hate Crime Charges So Rare (NYT)
Asian-Americans Reported 3,800 Hate-Related Incidents During Pandemic (Guardian)
America’s Long History of Scapegoating Its Asian Citizens (National Geographic)
How to be an Ally (USA Today)

Report
USA Volleyball condemns and will not tolerate discrimination or racism within our family. We urge our members to report any race-based assaults, verbal or physical, at our member clubs or sanctioned events so we can take appropriate action. Report through SafeSport.