A three-day summit exploring the intersection between sport and human rights will be held October 22-24, 2025 at The Dodd Center for Human Rights in Storrs, Connecticut.

Opening Keynote with 1968 Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos

The 2025 Dodd Human Rights Summit: Sport & Human Rights will kick off with an opening keynote conversation between two pivotal figures in the history of sports and activism—Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the 1968 Olympians whose raised-fist salute became an iconic global symbol of the struggle for human rights. Their conversation will be moderated by Bill Rhoden, an award-winning journalist and former New York Times sports columnist.

For James Waller, Dodd Chair in Human Rights Practice and Director of Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs at UConn, having Smith and Carlos as the opening voices for the Summit is particularly poignant at a time when human rights and racial equality remain more of an aspirational ideal than a realistic achievement. “In the 57 years since that defining moment on the Olympic podium,” Waller says, “the journey toward racial equality has been a fitful one. The protests by Smith and Carlos, which transcended sports and later could be found in the echoes of the Black Lives Matter movement, remind us that the promotion and protection of human rights is a continual process that requires daily commitments by each of us.”

A Global Call to Action

The Summit will bring together a distinguished group of professional and collegiate athletes, thought leaders, policymakers, activists, scholars, students, artists, and business leaders from around the world. The Summit aims to address the promise—and challenges—of sport as a vehicle for inclusion, equality, and human rights protection.

The event will feature high-profile keynote addresses, fireside chats, and panel discussions covering a range of critical topics, including:

• • Gender, Sport, and Human Rights
  • Resistance, Sport, and Human Rights
  • Disability, Sport, and Human Rights
  • Business, Sport, and Human Rights
  • Sportswashing and Human Rights
  • Sport and Human Rights Close to Home, featuring former and current UConn athletes and coaches

“Sport has the power to break barriers, challenge injustice, and promote equality,” said Erica Laplante, co-organizer of the Summit and Director of the Human Rights Research Hub. “This Summit is an opportunity to critically examine the successes, the challenges, and the potential of sport as a venue for advancing human rights around the world.”

For more information on the 2025 Dodd Human Rights Summit and registration details, visit https://summit.humanrights.uconn.edu/2025-summit/