The increase of athletes utilizing their collective power to bring awareness to social issues will be the focus of a virtual talk at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, by Rafik Mohamed, dean of the Cal State San Bernardino College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and sports sociology researcher, and Tim Brown, New York Times bestselling author and award-winning sports writer.

The talk “Athletes as Advocates” is being held through Raising Compassionate Leaders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving families the resources and tools to help their children develop personal identity, embrace human differences, think critically, and act against injustice toward themselves or others.

Athletes in America have a history of using their platform to challenge racial injustice. This summer athletes became even more vocal using social media to connect with the public, by boycotting games and promoting activism with symbols and slogans. Even the professional sports leagues they play for supported athletes in advocating for equality and justice. If advocacy is a way of life – how people see, think and interact with the world around them – how will professional sports organizations and its athletes sustainably advocate for racial justice.

Mohamed has been dean of the college since he joined Cal State San Bernardino in 2015. Along with sports sociology, his research has focused on domestic drug policy and issues of racial identity and inequality in the United States. His most recent book “Black Men on the Blacktop: Basketball and the Politics of Race” was published in 2017 by Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Mohamed holds a BA in sociology and criminal justice from the George Washington University, and an MA in social ecology and Ph.D. in criminology, law and society from the University of California at Irvine.

Brown has covered baseball for more than 25 years, the past 10 for Yahoo Sports. He was awarded first place in beat writing by the Associated Press Sports Editors. Brown is the co-author of two New York Time bestsellers – “The Phenomenon” with Rick Ankiel, published in 2017 by PublicAffairs, and “Imperfect – An Improbable life” with Jim Abbott, published in 2013 by Ballantine Books.

To RSVP for the talk, visit the event registration site.