A group of Major League Soccer players announced today the formation of the Black Players Coalition, with a mission to "address the racial inequalities in our league, stand with all those fighting racism in the world of soccer, and positively impact black communities across the United States and Canada." Philadelphia Union defender Ray Gaddis is one of eleven board members, with Justin Morrow serving as the coalition's first Executive Director. Former Union striker CJ Sapong is also a board member, and over 70 black players are members of the coalition thus far.
Gaddis, Union defender Mark McKenzie, and many other BPC members tweeted a statement announcing the coalition's formation along with the words, "There will be change" and the hashtag "#MLSisBlack."
Additionally, the coalition noted, "As we celebrate Juneteenth and the coming together of our coalition, we must remind ourselves that such progressivism was once met with vehement backlash. May this reminder serve as a warning to us all that confronting systemic racism head-on will never be a smooth, constantly upward trending path, but rather a timeless battle that will force us to reinvent the very essence of our institutions."
