Lunch and Learn: "See It To Be It" featuring Liz Robbins and McKenzie Coan

Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights

This fall, grab your favorite lunch at noon and tune in to virtual conversations with the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights and the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System on topics from repairing the effects of racial injustice to fighting for equitable access to recovering from exile and loss. Let’s learn together!

Lunch and Learn returns with special guests Liz Robbins and McKenzie Coan in conversation with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System discussing "See It To Be It" by Billie Jean King with Liz Robbins.

Registration not required. Click on the YouTube video linked below to stream the program live or watch the recording later.

About the Book: 

Global Sports Icon and Equality Champion Billie Jean King Introduces the Next Generation of Women’s Sports Superstars in "See It To Be It: Eleven Champions Leading Women’s Sports Today. An inspiring nonfiction collection for teens celebrates today’s most exciting women athletes—and empowers young readers to claim their place in sports. Billie Jean King turns the spotlight on the future of women’s sports.

In collaboration with journalist Liz Robbins, King profiles eleven trailblazing athletes who are redefining excellence, visibility, and opportunity in sports today. More than fifty years after her historic 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” victory proved women athletes deserved equal recognition, King now introduces young readers to the stars carrying that legacy forward and proving the same thing every time they play. Through compelling profiles and exclusive personal photos, See It to Be It celebrates athletes at the top of their game—on the field, court, track, ice, and beyond. Featured athletes include global icons Naomi Osaka, four-time Grand Slam tennis champion, and Caitlin Clark, the record-breaking basketball star and WNBA Rookie of the Year, alongside rising and barrier-breaking talents the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield (hockey), Diana Flores (flag football), Amit Elor (wrestling), Nikki Hiltz (track), McKenzie Coan (Paralympic swimming), Midge Purce (soccer), Chelsea Gray (basketball), Kelsie Whitmore (baseball), and Asjia O’Neal (volleyball).

Each story highlights perseverance, identity, and leadership. “You don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy this book,” King writes in the book’s introduction, adding, “You just have to be curious about history and about what makes champions tick. The title of this book is the reason I wrote it, a mantra I have always repeated: ‘If you can see it, you can be it.’ I hope seeing the journeys these remarkable young people took to become trailblazers will inspire you to write your own story.”

Designed for both avid sports fans and readers seeking real-life inspiration, "See It To Be It" speaks directly to a critical moment in young people’s lives. Research shows girls’ participation in sports drops sharply in
early adolescence, making the preteen and teen years crucial for confidence, physical health, and long-term wellness. This book offers powerful motivation to stay in the game by sharing true stories that empower young athletes and prove that legends aren’t just born, they’re made—both on and off the playing field.

Find the book in our collection: Book |

About the authors: 

Billie Jean King is a global sports icon, equality advocate, and bestselling author. A 39-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 tennis player, she has spent her career fighting for equal pay and opportunity in sports and in life. She is the first woman athlete to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the first individual woman athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. King founded the Women’s Tennis Association, the Women’s Sports Foundation, and is part of the ownership groups of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angel City FC. A bestselling author, King lives in New York City with her partner, Ilana Kloss. Learn more at billiejeanking.com.

Liz Robbins is a New York-based journalist who covered the NBA, Olympics, tennis, and local news for The New York Times for 19 years. Her first book, "A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York" (about the New York City Marathon), was a New York Times Editors’ Pick. She teaches high school journalism for The School of The New York Times.

About our guests: 

Liz Robbins is a New York-based journalist who covered the NBA, Olympics, tennis, and local news for The New York Times for 19 years. Her first book, "A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York" (about the New York City Marathon), was a New York Times Editors’ Pick. She teaches high school journalism for The School of The New York Times.

McKenzie Coan is a professional swimmer, public speaker, disability advocate, and author. She first took to the water for aqua therapy to help with her osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). But it wasn’t long after her brothers joined a swim team that she declared her days in the "baby pool" over. Coan made her first U.S. Paralympic National Team at 15 in 2012 and has been a part of Team USA every year since. She competed in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, and in 2016, she won four medals in Rio de Janeiro, including three gold. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, she defended her title from Rio in the 400-meter freestyle and took second in the 100 free. She is an eight-time World Champion and two-time world record holder in the category S7 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyles.

Coan published her first book, "Breaking Free – Shattering Expectations and Thriving with Ambition in Pursuit of Gold," in 2021. The memoir explains why she believes her genetic condition happened for her – not to her – and how she lives an unexpectedly full life while performing at the top of her sport.

You can find out more information about McKenzie's book "Breaking Free – Shattering Expectations and Thriving with Ambition in Pursuit of Gold" here.