Daniels chasing common goal during Black History Month

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — Like in sports, belonging and inclusion in society only works if it’s a team effort.

In this month’s episode of Diversity is Strength Conversations, presented by Kyndryl and powered by SiriusXM, host Donnovan Bennett and a panel of guests reflected on Black History Month. Toronto Argonauts’ star receiver DaVaris Daniels, MLSE Senior Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Angela White, and Football Ontario’s Manager of Flag Development, Olivia Ghosh-Swaby, discussed the importance of creating opportunities for the next generation and leading with purpose, despite the challenges they have faced.

Kyndryl’s Todd Scott was also a part of the extended conversation, discussing the sense of inclusion and belonging, and the importance of creating a work environment where people are fully supported to bring their full potential and develop their skills to perform at their best every day.

It’s hard to talk about the issue without first identifying the origin of the problem, though. White – whose award-winning career led her to the position of Senior Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at MLSE – recalls how challenging it can be to understand exactly what’s the best path forward when you’re trying to advance in your career despite invisible barriers based on the colour of your skin.

“It really is unnerving when you realize that you’re left kind of unsure of what exactly is the right formula to navigate this space because it has nothing to do with your performance,” said White.

“You can’t change, nor do you want to change the colour of your skin. It’s really about just staying focused on the work, taking advantage of every single opportunity when you are in the room.”

Ghosh-Swaby also remembers her trajectory in developing the women’s flag football program in Ontario, alongside the challenges she faced to grow the sport and overcome these barriers.

“The biggest thing for me is recognizing along my path that there were a lot of no’s, and where were those no’s coming from,” added Ghosh-Swaby. “I didn’t want to accept that it was potentially the colour of my skin, but it felt like I was getting no’s, but when someone else brought the idea forward, or was working towards another initiative, it was an easy yes.

Ghosh-Swaby recalled the challenges in developing the women’s flag football program in Ontario (CFL.ca)

“I saw this in developing and growing women’s flag football in Ontario, for example. I was that face, that person who was constantly cold e-mailing people to see if we can get some support and some investments, talking to institutions across Ontario to bring their women’s flag programs into their varsity spaces or sport club spaces, and at the time (I received) a lot of no’s. It took three or four years for that landscape to change and some of it did involve having to go to the different EDI departments or groups on campus to help bring in allies to support me in this space.”

A former NCAA basketball player, Scott transitioned into a successful business career after his playing days, with 30 years of experience in the IT industry with IBM and Kyndryl.

The New Rochelle, NY native also talked about belonging, tracing a parallel between inclusion in business and in sports.

“It’s similar for a successful sports team,” said Scott. “You have players with different roles and skills. Each player brings unique strengths to the game, and it’s the combination of these unique and varied talents that makes the team unbeatable. When I played basketball, my teammates and I had to earn our place on the team. The rules for success or failure were the same. Under these rules, NO ONE felt they were disadvantaged because of how they looked or the color of their skin. You were invited to try out based on your resume. You played based on your capabilities compared to others you were playing against.

“For us, inclusion and belonging is about creating a work environment where people are fully supported to bring their full potential and develop their skills to perform at their best every day.”

It was in sports that Daniels found a space that could rally people together towards a common goal, regardless of the colour of their skin or their place of origin.

“At the time I was growing up, it was very standoffish,” said Daniels. “My parents had me at a young age, so my dad actually played in the NFL and we had to make a complete change from Donaldsonville, GA to Seattle, WA, complete opposite side of the country. And that was probably my first experience where I saw the difference in the way that people treat you when you have a name. And it was something that kind of opened my eyes to the fact that people could get along no matter what they look like or where they’re from.

“I wanted to pursue a career where everybody could work together, have a team and chase after a common goal, everybody could come together.”

Creating an environment for people to work together towards those goals is about more than just creating a team but also giving opportunity for people to use their platforms to help promote inclusion, said Ghosh-Swaby.

“The biggest thing, I think, is mentorship and using people’s leverages and the spaces that they work in, whether they identify as Black themselves or want to support those in their career,” added Ghosh-Swaby. “Not only are we bringing in coaches or administrators in the sport that do identify as Black but ensuring that they have support and resources to be successful in that space.”

Belonging and inclusion aren’t about immediately erasing biases or differences but instead finding ways to establish connections with one another toward an intersecting objective.

“We all have biases and it’s trying to find that common ground that helps us connect with each other and realize that we have more in common than we are different,” said White.

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