Sapora Symposium to Focus on Social Justice

The Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism’s annual professional development event for undergraduate students—the Sapora Symposium—will focus on the role of sport in advancing social justice, inclusion, cultural cohesion, and gender equity. This year’s event will be virtual, with a series of keynote addresses and panel discussions taking place between October 28 and December 9.

The event will open with a tribute to Fighting Illini Basketball legend and College Basketball Hall of Fame member Lou Henson, who passed away in July. He began his college coaching career at Hardin-Simmons University in Texas, a position he agreed to take only if he was allowed to integrate the team. Participants in the panel will include his widow, Mary Henson, former Illini assistant Mark Coombes, legendary Big Ten referee Ed Hightower, former Ole Miss and Arizona State basketball coach Rob Evans, and Northwestern University athletic director Jim Phillips, who will chair the NCAA Men’s Basketball committee in 2021-2022.

Other presenters confirmed at this time are former Illinois Women’s Basketball and US Olympic coach Theresa Grentz, Paralympic track and field star Tatyana McFadden, and Schuyler Bailar, the first openly transgender NCAA Division 1 swimmer.

Events can be viewed either synchronously as they occur or asynchronously at the viewer's convenience. Check the Sapora Symposium website for more information.