Morning Buzz: Will USC Get Results With 32-Member Action Team?
Did you see how many people are on the USC Athletics Black Lives Matter Action Team?
I counted 32 among the two committees plus Julie Rousseau, the chair. It's so big there is a husband-wife team (Caryl Smith-Gilbert, Greg Gilbert).
It reminded me of a recent Daily Trojan article that quoted former student Preston Fregia saying USC creates task forces as a way to slow down a cause.
"They want people, the activists that are doing all this, to graduate and then slow down,” Fregia said. “They want to slow down the pace of change.”
The difference is the size of this movement seems too broad and high-profile to slow down. And Rousseau is not an administrative figure or beholden to the athletic dept. so she should be amicable to change. She also knows, as a former coach at Pepperdine, what matters to athletes.
It's also bad publicity and bad for recruiting when you botch these things: Look at Washington State last weekend for an example of what not to do.
So let's see what happens. As long as 32 people on this project doesn't cause things to move at a glacial pace, something good might come of it. I don't know if the athletes will be overly patient but who knows?
"The time begs for us to continue the work and legacy of our ancestors,” Rousseau said in a statement. “For such a time as this, I hope to be a bridge builder for creating an environment that exemplifies regard and respect for the lives of Black student athletes at USC. All Lives Can’t Matter, Until Black Lives Matter.”
