August 26, 2018, BY
Special Olympics Athlete Leaders, from across the United States of America, recite the “Inclusion Revolution” Manifesto while at an Athlete Leadership Training in Chicago in July 2018. This video was edited and produced by Adam Hayes, Athlete Leader with Special Olympics Maryland. The following “Inclusion Revolution” Manifesto was originally printed on SpecialOlympics.org and is transcribed below for educational purposes.
We are not just athletes.
We are the ambassadors of an uprising–
peaceful protesters in an rebellion against anyone who has a fear of difference.Our demands are equality, dignity, and the recognition of our shared humanity.
We will not stop or accept anything less.
We are deserving.
When we compete, we’re fighting for a more inclusive world.
We are champions on the field and for this cause.Today, are world is more divided than ever,
and coming together has been been more urgent.
The Revolution is inclusion.
And it’s not optional.The only choice you need to make is how you will join it.
Athlete Leadership Program
The Athlete Leadership Program within Special Olympics gives those of us athletes a voice in shaping the Special Olympics Movement. Bank of America has supporting the Athlete Leadership Program since 2013, including cultivating 15,000 new athlete leaders.
Read Daniel’s award-winning Special Voices Voices Column, “Telling Our Stories”, to learn more first-hand how Special Olympics Athlete Leaders like Georgia, Daniel, and so many others are fine-tuning their public speaking skills.
As you heard in this national Bank of America Commercial and on the Over 300 Podcasts on Special Chronicles, the Athlete Leadership Program provides opportunities for SO Athlete Leaders to be professional speakers and leaders within the Special Olympics Movement, their jobs, and in the mainstream community.
The Revolution Is Inclusion
Sign the Inclusion Pledge:
I pledge to look for the lonely, the isolated, the left out, the challenged and the bullied.
I pledge to overcome the fear of difference and replace it with the power of inclusion.
I #ChooseToInclude.