Q: What is the BCCA?
A: The Black Canadian Coaches Association is Black-led, a nonprofit organization representing a community of groups seeking to support and empower Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in the Canadian sports community.
Q: What groups does the BCCA seek to support?
A: Our stakeholders include all levels of athletes, coaches, parents, educators, administrators, sport organizations, cultural groups, and sport groups.
Q: I am not Black. Can I join the BCCA?
A: The BCCA is an inclusive organization whose membership is open to all sport supporters and participants, regardless of nationality, gender, race, cultural or religious beliefs.
Q: Are all BCCA memberships the same?
A: Currently BCCA memberships are the same. The BCCA reserves the right to distinguish between Primary and Associate Memberships following the Annual General Meeting.
Q: When did the BCCA start?
A: BCCA founder and basketball coach Lee Anna Osei experienced racial discrimination in sport, which prompted her to research what standards and policies existed within Canadian sport organizations to educate stakeholders about anti-Black racism in sport and protect racialized persons as well as non-confroming, intersectional identities. With no precedence in sight she sought to create the first Black Canadian Coaches Association, with inspiration from the original Black Coaches Association (BCA), and The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES). The BCCA was formalized as an organization in 2020, largely in response to calls to end anti-Black racism across North America.
Q: What groups comprise the BCCA community?
A: The BCCA currently has 10 groups. Each group meets monthly, with most meetings open to registered BCCA members:
- BCCA| Anti-Racism Experts (Academic Professionals)
- BCCA| Athletics (Track and Field and Running)
- BCCA| Basketball
- BCCA| Holistic Health (Physical and Mental Wellness Professionals)
- BCCA| Volleyball
- BCCA| Soccer
- BCCA| Multisport (Racially under-represented sports ie. Swimming, Curling, Boxing, and Tennis
- BCCA| Hockey
- BCCA| Brand Ambassadors (Popular and Widely recognized individuals)
- The BCCA Leadership Team (BCCA Executive, Group Chairs and Board of Directors)