Throughout Black History Month, coaches and staff will reflect on the importance of celebrating Black History Month, inspirations in their life throughout Black history, being a role model and much more. Today, we feature Chris Hamblin, The Branca Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Soccer.

Q&A with Chris Hamblin, The Branca Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Soccer

Who throughout Black history has been inspirational to you in your life or coaching?
Nelson Mandela has been an inspiration to me. There are so many leadership lessons to learn from Mandela's life and work. Growing up in the United Kingdom, we learned about the political climate in South Africa and how Mandela successfully dismantled the apartheid regime. At 12 years old, I remember watching Nelson Mandela's release from prison and learning about the incredible personal sacrifices he made in pursuit of social justice. 
 
Why is celebrating Black History Month important to you? 
As a white male who moved to the United States in 1997, I was blind to my privilege. Even though I was an immigrant and naive to the U.S. culture, I was treated the same as others who looked like me. During my career, I have had the privilege to coach a diverse group of student-athletes… this diversity has always made us better and stronger. Through this experience I have become increasingly aware of the privileges that are afforded to me, which in turn, highlights the systemic racism at play in our society. Celebrating Black History Month is important to me as it allows us to reflect on how we can play our part in dismantling systemic racism and moving the needle towards a fairer and more equitable world. Celebrating Black History Month allows us to honor and celebrate Black men and women who have fought against injustice and discrimination and tell the stories of our Black Harvard student-athletes and alumni. 
 
How do you celebrate and show the importance of Black History Month or Black culture with your teams?
Each member of our team is part of a committee that works towards non-soccer team goals. One of our committees is our DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) Committee. Members of the DEI Committee are also Harvard Women's Soccer's representatives on the Justice Coalition, which is a collaborative commitment to social justice from all eight of the women's soccer programs in the Ivy League. The Justice Coalition meets each month to discuss projects and promotes education, action and leadership in regards to social justice. During Black History Month, each of our programs will be sharing coordinated social media posts each Friday. The posts cover certain themes, such as highlighting famous Black people from each institution or hidden gems on campus.