Brown is planning to spearhead regular town hall type of discussions within the teamUCLA
The Lakers announced a "pair of moves to aid in their mission to spur positive social change," as the team hired Dr. Karida Brown as Dir of Racial Equity & Action and declared that players and staff "would take Friday off to observe Juneteenth," according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Brown is "tasked with educating Lakers employees about the issues facing black and brown people in the United States and facilitating the team's outreach efforts to combat systemic racism." Brown did "not waste time in her new role, taking part in a group call with the organization on Thursday." She also is "planning to spearhead regular 'town hall' type of discussions within the team in the future." A team spokesperson said that the Lakers on Friday are "encouraging employees to use their time off on Juneteenth to further educate themselves on both the history and current state of race relations in the U.S." The Lakers also are "sponsoring a five-part virtual series hosted by Game Changer, an organization that hopes to spark open dialogue in the community between at-risk youth and law enforcement agents" (ESPN.com, 6/19).
