Our esteemed faculty member Dr. Diane Gill was given the honor of presenting as an invited speaker at the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) annual meeting. The meeting’s theme was “Kinesiology’s Social Justice Imperative”. Dr. Gill’s presentation titled: Kinesiology: Moving toward Social Justice? looked at Kinesiology’s social justice movement over the nearly 100 years of the Academy. More specifically she considered the representation of women and racial minorities (specifically Black/African-Americans) in Kinesiology and the Academy throughout its history, and social factors related to the changes (or lack of) in representation. Dr. Gill’s message emphasized that movement towards social justice in kinesiology will come from learning from our history, highlighting social factors, and connecting with our communities and professionals. A perfect example of this was sharing a session titled: “Agents of change  and Social Activism” with  Ketra L. Armstrong of the University of Michigan, who’s presentation was titled: “Teaching to Transgress: Race and a Pedagogy of Empowerment in Kinesiology.” 

A colleague noted that  “Her presentation provided a look at how NAK, UNCG, and kinesiology in general has changed (or not) over the years through a social justice lens.  The presentation was rich in the history of NAK, UNCG and the field. It is pretty eye opening and offers some practical advice for what needs to be done…”  Here is the link (31 minutes) to her presentation A related paper will be published in Kinesiology Review in spring 2022. Thank you for your efforts to move toward social justice and for representing our department! For more information on the EdD in KIN program click here.