Black women make up nearly half of the U.S. population, but they are underrepresented in leadership positions in the NFL.
In fact, only 7.7 per cent of NFL head coaches are women, according to the league.
That’s a number that has been steadily rising in recent years, according the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which works to improve race relations in the workplace.
The conference also tracks the representation of women in sports, particularly in the professional sports.
But as the number of black women in the league continues to rise, some believe it’s time for a change in how the sport is run.
“It’s a sport where the people are in charge of the decisions,” said Nicole Sartor, a co-founder of Black Girl Run, a Black Lives Matter-affiliated organization.
“The women are the leaders.
You can’t say the same thing about men.
I think we can all agree on that.”
Sartor said Black Girls League is hoping to change that.
She’s hoping to create a space for young Black girls in sports to feel supported and valued by coaches.
“The coaches can tell the players that they care about the girls, they want to see them succeed,” she said.
“And when they have to make a decision, they’re not being a passive observer.
They’re making the decision, and the girls are going to be able to make the decision.”
The black female head coach, or coach, position in the National Football League (NFL) was created in 1946, but only five women have ever coached the position.
Since the league started in the 1970s, it has expanded to include every team in the game, and is now made up of more than 4,000 coaches.
The first black woman to coach in the United States, Laquisha Campbell, is currently the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
The former professional basketball player said the opportunity came up after seeing the impact the NFL had on her life.
“When I saw the changes that were going on in my community, I thought to myself, ‘Oh my God, I can do this,'” she said in an interview with CBC News.
“So I took it upon myself and I got into coaching.
I’m excited about this.”
She says the women are empowered because the coaches know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of racism in the community.
“I was in the locker room after the game.
I’m a very confident person, and I’ve had my share of challenges in my life, and it was just amazing to be in that room where they saw that,” she added.”
And they know that I can handle it.”
The women at Black Girls Club are also working to help change the culture of the league and increase the visibility of Black women in leadership roles.
“We have this misconception that there’s a lack of leadership, and when I say ‘leadership’ I mean there’s coaches, there’s quarterbacks, there are receivers, there is an assistant coach and then there’s the black coach,” Sartar said.
“Black women are leaders, not just coaches, and they’re also leaders in all of our other professions, from sales and marketing to technology, so it’s just a matter of changing the culture.”
For now, Black Girls is a space where young women can learn from coaches about how to be successful and achieve.
“They’re learning from the coaches and we’re learning the coaches,” Sartsor said.
The Black Girls Football League, which has been running since February, is one of the first Black girls’ sports leagues in North America.
The league aims to teach Black women the fundamentals of leadership and empowerment, including mentorship and mentorship in the field of sport.
Sartors said the league is also trying to break down the stereotype that women are not as athletic as men.
“One of the things we’re doing in the space is we’re really trying to educate Black girls about what it is to be an athlete, and how it’s important for them to have a coach who is able to speak with them on an emotional level and who is also a good mentor,” she explained.
“They can help them develop skills like they did in school.”
The Black Girl’s Club was founded in 2006 and is part of the National Black Girls Leadership Conference.
It aims to build a positive, inclusive, supportive environment for Black girls to develop their potential in the sport.
The club hosts weekly socials for girls from grades 4-12, and encourages them to meet and talk with coaches, players, teammates and others.
“What we’re trying to do is bring the Black girls together, and we try to keep them together because they’re the ones who are going down the road, and that’s the most important thing,” Sarter said.
