Jan 22, 2021
Chantal Roche lives, breathes and inspires hope in every person she connects with. In her role as the Diversity and Inclusion Manager for the United States Tennis Association of New England, she’s working tirelessly to fulfill the USTA’s mission: To make tennis look like America.
Changing the ethos of tennis is no small feat, and the USTA is up for the challenge by offering tennis to a variety of socio-economic communities, including more people of color and welcoming all abilities onto the tennis courts.
Chantal offers advice on combating racism and creating real social change: 1. Talk openly to friends and family about racism and acknowledge why incidences are wrong. 2. Seek out the diversity and inclusion manager at your place of employment and ask what changes are being made. 3. Check in with your BIPOC friends after incidents like what happened at the Capitol. 4. Look within and educate yourself around the history of BIPOC oppression and racism.
The National Junior Tennis and Learning network supports over 250 nonprofits to bring tennis to over 160,000 under-resourced youths each year. You can learn more and support NJTL here.