Racism hurts our communities in overt and systemic ways. In Vermont, there is a community ethic shared by a majority of residents that recognizes overt racism–obvious displays of personal and institutional hatred against people of color–as abhorrent and toxic. Structural racism, however, shows up in more insidious ways that may not be as immediately obvious for 93% of the state’s residents who identify as white. 

The Club founders admit to not knowing the full breadth and depth of systemic racism in Vermont, but are committed to learning and taking actions that contribute to making Burlington, and Vermont, a truly inclusive and welcoming place for everyone who visits or calls it home, including our diverse roster of players. In order to move forward with this commitment, we reached out to the Anti-Racist Soccer Club (ARSC), a coalition of players, clubs, and experts fighting racism in American soccer, to learn more about their mission and how we could work together to advance anti-racism at our club and in our community. ARSC has developed a ten-point framework that members use to create a customized plan to fit local needs and priorities. ARSC then monitors and evaluates member progress against goals to ensure accountability. Joining the coalition gives us the best chance at building a club with anti-racism in its DNA. We recognize we need a supportive and knowledgeable community that will help us along our learning journey. We believe this work must be brought to scale and that will only happen through a coalition working towards shared goals and outcomes.

Advancing Environmental Justice Through Soccer

Our club’s mission is to advance environmental justice through soccer in our local community and beyond. Systemic racism is one of the issues at the root of environmental justice, driving disproportionate environmental and health hazards for BIPOC communities. And climate change, perhaps the mother of all environmental justice issues, is intensifying these injustices on a monumental scale. Proposed solutions to environmental challenges, like climate change, often fall short because social inequities are often not foundational priorities or are left unaddressed. At international climate change negotiations, this remains a central impasse. We believe addressing social inequities has to be central to environmental solutions, because moving resources and power into the hands of frontline communities through an equitable process fosters the most effective and efficient response to environmental challenges. It puts resources where they’re needed the most, when they’re needed, and empowers disenfranchised people to prioritize and lead improvements that deliver the most value for local conditions. This process allows the most appropriate choices to be made on time, reducing the severity, cost, and difficulty of fixing the problem. This is the problem-solving lens our club is embracing, albeit imperfectly, every day. We are just beginning this journey and looking forward to the iterative work and long-term journey ahead.  

Progress Over Perfection 

This is our first season and much of our work to fight racism is just beginning. We also recognize we will always be a work-in-progress and we’re committed to that work with humility and a spirit found within all who know and love the beautiful game. Here are few pieces of our plan that are already underway:

  • We are investing club resources into our communities to further diversity, equity, and inclusion. We’ve launched a pilot program with the King Street Center that focuses on building community ties between players, the Club, and local youth and families from underrepresented and historically marginalized communities. We are also working to advance climate justice by building relationships between players and youth through education, dialogue, and art . Additionally, we are donating tickets to King Street Center youth so they can build relationships with players during the program and also see them in action on the pitch without worrying about financial constraints.  
  • We will provide a platform for all players to speak openly and freely about social injustice and inequality. The club is working with ARSC to understand how to create conditions of safety and support for players and staff to feel empowered to speak on these issues. The club has in-house expertise to provide training and ongoing guidance in storytelling and digital communications that players can leverage.
  • We are partnering with organizations that will support anti-racist efforts. We are lucky to have some amazing partners working with us on this journey, including the King Street Center, Juba Stars FC, Anti-Racist Soccer Club, our sponsors, and vendors.