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Gwen Berry and the Politics of Protest (...

Freeman, R. Edward...

Case

Gwen Berry and the Politics of Protest (B)

Freeman, R. Edward; Mead, Jenny

E-0480 | Published June 28, 2022 | 5 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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This case is a follow-up to "Gwen Berry and the Politics of Protest (A)" (UVA-E-0479). Gwen Berry did protest at the Pan American Games in the summer of 2019 by raising her fist in the air when the US national anthem was playing. Pushback by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the public was swift and fierce. Berry, along with US fencing team member Race Imboden, who also protested, was put on problem for a year and immediately lost the sponsors who had supported her. With few exceptions, her fellow athletes voiced no support. However, after the death of George Floyd in May 2020 and the subsequent protests and sustained examination of social and racial-justice issues, things seemed to be turning a positive corner. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee apologized to Berry and seemed to be making the protest rules more lenient. Yet Berry knew that the underlying problems still existed and that the IOC maintained its grip on how protests could occur and on the athletes’ lives and livelihoods. Berry thought about how she should move forward, both to propel her track and field career and to help other athletes stand up for themselves with the USOPC and make their voices heard—and, hopefully, to change the mindset and thinking of the IOC leadership.