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Empowering the Game: Lacrosse Edition

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

Help us welcome four trail blazing women who have used their platforms as elite athletes and leaders to speak out on social issues, advocate for diversity within the lacrosse world, and continue to create opportunities for and inspire other women in sports.

Lacrosse leaders Chloë Johnson, Alexis Joseph, Tari Kandemiri, and Patricia A. Thomas join the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights and Prince George’s County Memorial Library System for a live panel conversation, Empowering the Game – Lacrosse Edition. This event will discuss such topics as social issues, underrepresentation of women of color in college athletics, socioeconomic barriers in sports, and the importance of being an advocate for others. Join them at 7PM Eastern time on October 12th, 2023, as they share their stories!

Chloë Johnson is a recent graduate from Ohio State University, originally from the DMV area. She is currently studying for the LSAT aspiring to be a future criminal law defense attorney. She graduated with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology as well as Legal Foundations in Society. Chloe is passionate about encouraging young women to be who they are and confident enough to comfortable in their own skin in all spaces. Be a voice for young women who may feel out of place or doubting themselves. She also enjoys a good Netflix series or movie to watch, as well as traveling.  

Alexis Joseph joined the Howard University women's lacrosse team as an assistant coach in 2022. She graduated from Duke University May '22 with a B.A in Visual Arts on track for Architecture and was a defender on the women's lacrosse team. During her time at Duke, she earned the Top 6 ACC Service Award and the Samuel DuBois Cook Undergraduate Student Award for service and leadership. She also spearheaded a free lacrosse clinic for Black and Brown girls in Durham. Alexis was the president of UBA (United Black Athletes) her junior and senior year where she led diversity training with administration and staff. 

She has coached with HHH Girls Philly, Eyekonz Philly, STARS St. James, MOCO Lacrosse, and Ultimate Girls NC at various age groups. 

Tari Kandemiri, also known as Official Lax Girl, is a sports social media personality, writer, and reporter. Tari is an ambassador for Nike Lacrosse, hosts "Sound On with Tari and Amari" for ESPN, and is on the Board of Directors of the Tewaaraton Foundation. Bringing lacrosse to underrepresented communities is of the utmost importance to Tari, and she serves as a Lead Clinician for the USA Lacrosse Sankofa Lacrosse Clinic Series and volunteers with multiple organizations in the lacrosse community.  

Tari writes and commentates for a variety of media organizations, including ESPN, Inside Lacrosse Magazine, and Athletes Unlimited, and has also created content for the Premier Lacrosse League and National Lacrosse league. She has provided commentary and coverage for World Lacrosse events, most recently the Women's and Men's World Championships, and is a pioneer in calling the Sixes Olympic format of lacrosse for men and women. Outside of lacrosse, Tari works in Management Consulting and is the founder of her own startup, Hama Beauty, a platform that uses data science to recommend beauty and skincare products to consumers. 

Patricia Thomas was appointed University of the District of Columbia Director of Athletics in December 2008. She is that university’s first female athletic director and part of the 9% of Athletic Directors at NCAA member institution who are women of color. Thomas oversees all operations for the Firebird's ten NCAA Division II programs and in 2011 guided the university into the East Coast Conference, the university's first-ever NCAA conference affiliation.  While at the helm of UDC athletics, Thomas has hired seasoned, dedicated administrative and coaching staff and has instituted key components to enhance the student-athlete experience and the Firebird brand. On-campus Sports Complex appearance has dramatically improved under her leadership, while enhanced facilities remain a priority. 

Student-athlete academic success is also a priority; the overall GPA for student-athletes is above 3.0 and the graduation rate for student-athletes has increased since Patricia's arrival. The Firebirds have won 6 East Coast Conference Championships, have realized NCAA Championship experience in men's and women's basketball, women's track & field, women's tennis, and men's soccer. The Firebirds continue to embrace community engagement through local outreach and national outreach in support of Make-A-Wish and Go For the Goal, as well as hosting social justice forums.