Up Next
Athletes and notable guests in attendance at ESPN’s town hall
A list of those who participated in ‘An Undefeated Conversation: Athletes, Responsibility and Violence’
Philando Castile. Alton Sterling. The Dallas and Baton Rouge police officers: A summer of horrific gun violence that continues daily from Orlando to Milwaukee is prompting athletes and activists across the country to ask themselves what can be done. This week, The Undefeated looks at some of the issues involved and holds a town hall discussion in Chicago, the site of some of the nation’s worst gun violence.
On Thursday, athletes, community members and activists gathered at the South Side YMCA of Metro Chicago to discuss athletes, guns, violence and law enforcement during An Undefeated Conversation: Athletes, Responsibility and Violence.
The conversation, which aired Thursday night, was broken into different panels covering personal stories of the racial profiling of athletes, athletes and guns and how athletes can use platforms to make a difference.
Below is a list of panelists and notable guests.
Elizabeth Todd-Breland: A historian at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In her four years as an assistant professor of history at the university, Todd-Breland has focused on African-American history, the history of education and 20th-century American urban and social life.
Stephanie Brown: The mother of Darius Brown, who was killed in a drive-by shooting while playing basketball in 2011. Five suspects were charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death.
Matt DeMateo: Executive director of New Life Centers of Chicagoland and pastor of New Life Community Church. DeMateo has been involved in youth outreach, and has served as a mentor for the community’s youth for 15 years. He has also held advisory positions on youth violence and justice for the Cook County Juvenile Court.
Doug Glanville: An ESPN baseball analyst and former center fielder for the Chicago Cubs. Glanville has used his platform to speak out against social injustice, including his own experiences being racially profiled by a police officer while shoving snow in his own driveway in Hartford, Connecticut.
Jemele Hill: Co-host of ESPN’s daytime sports show His & Hers, who served as the host of An Undefeated Conversation.
Lonnae O’Neal: A Chicago native and senior writer for The Undefeated, who has written about a variety of topics, including sports, culture and politics.
Jabari Parker: A Chicago native and forward for the Milwaukee Bucks. Parker most recently penned an essay in The Players’ Tribune about his childhood, gun violence and the community support showed to him while growing up in Chicago.
Rev. Michael Pfleger: Senior pastor of The Faith Community of Saint Sabina. Pfleger speaks often about racism and gun violence in Chicago.
Rajon Rondo: Point guard for the Chicago Bulls. Even before signing with the Bulls in July, the four-time NBA All-Star began mentoring a group of 10 African-American middle-school boys from Chicago.
Isiah Thomas: A Hall of Fame point guard and Chicago native. After growing up on the West Side of Chicago, Thomas was determined to make a difference in his own community. Thomas credits the city’s “basketball soul” and his upbringing in Chicago for the solid foundation and success he’s achieved throughout his career.
Jolinda Wade: Senior pastor of New Creation Binding and Loosing Ministries in Chicago, and the mother of Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade. Wade’s Barrier Breakdown Transformed Foundation teaches life and survival skills to men, women and children.
Michael Wilbon: A Chicago native and longtime co-host of the popular ESPN show Pardon the Interruption.
Marcellus Wiley: A co-host for ESPN’s SportsNation, who spent 10 seasons as a defensive end in the NFL.
Kenny Williams: A former Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman who is now executive vice president for the Chicago White Sox.
Xavier Ramey: Operations director and chief photographer for the #LetUsBreathe Collective, a group of Chicago-based artists and friends who hope to highlight the “aftermath of brutal police crackdowns and criminalization of nonviolent dissent.”
Clinton Yates: A senior writer for The Undefeated whose work can be found in his All Day blog.