Celebrating Black futures in Sport & Culture with the Nike FM Broadcast
In April 2021, Nike launched the FM Broadcast, a series of short YouTube episodes featuring Black athletes, activists, creators & innovators. Celebrating Black futures in sport and culture, each episode centres practical discussions with the aim to educate and build the Black community.
Representation and inclusivity is an issue felt throughout global sports industries. The lack of minorities taking part in sport, in high positions within the industry, and at the forefront of the industry is largely due to the additional challenges that they face accessing sport. Considering the slew of recurring incidents surrounding racism against even the highest profile sportspeople, it’s no understatement to say that there is still plenty of work to be done in creating safe and accessible sporting environments for minority groups. Organisations are seeking ways to make the industry more accessible to minorities, while encouraging a more inclusive and diverse environment for the Black community to thrive in. For example, Nike’s work to encourage Muslim women to engage in sports has taken shape in a line featuring its Pro Hijab, allowing the likes of footballer Iqra Ismail of Hilltop Women’s Football Club, Khadijah Mellah, the UK’s first female competition-winning Muslim jockey or runner Intisar Abdul-Kader, among countless others to continue building upon their athletic careers.
Looking at proactive ways to encourage the younger generations to get involved with sport, Nike have called upon pioneers and innovators of the Black community to share their thoughts and experiences. Hosted by Janaya Future Khan, each episode explores a variety of themes to empower and inspire future generations while building a better cultural presence within the industry.
Activist and Co-Founder of BLM Canada, Janaya Future Khan is driven by change and equality. Black, queer and non-binary, Janaya’s personal experiences have influenced their global civil rights activism and driven them to becoming a keen boxer. From delivering Sunday Sermons – a series of inspiring talks surrounding Black identities in today’s age, launched earlier this year – to working with countless brands in helping them enforce and sustain racial equity, Janaya is ardently and arrestingly multidimensional in how they choose to drive and organise accessibility for the Black community.
Touching on Black and Asian solidarity, episode one features professional tennis player Naomi Osaka, singer-songwriter H.E.R., professional basketball player Jordan Clarkson, and Kyler Murray, quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals. Together, they discuss the importance of uniting to facilitate change and turning pain into power.
2020’s Canadian Soccer Player of the Year Kadeisha Buchanan, Pose series superstar Dyllón Burnside and diversity advocate Nevin Caple group together for episode two, where they have an in-depth conversation with Janaya about owning their Black & LGBTQIA+ identities with confidence.
The affluent Gurls Talk Founder Adwoa Aboah, professional boxer Ramla Ali, Footballer Marcus Rashford and Paralympic record holder Blake Leeper join Janaya in episode three, discussing their complex identities, discovering their confidence, and how they navigate laying the foundations for their futures.
Featuring founder of TTYA London Irene Agbontaen, Olympic athlete and basketball player Diandra Tchatchouang and co-founder of Patta, Edson Sabajo, episode four of this series talks about the key pillars of community. How they each connect to their communities and family through their personal work and grassroots activism. Diandra touches on the importance of giving back to the community and specifically opening up about difficult issues that affect many. Something that is more important than ever to the panelists is creating and opening spaces for others, being invested in community and cultivating opportunities. Community is central to everything - nurturing relationships in the industries you are part of, engaging with others, networking and rising up together. Irene, bringing the conversation back to sports, explores the importance of wellness, and how running is beneficial to her mental health and wellbeing.
Watch episodes one-three here, and discover episode four below: