This story from NPR/WBUR's ONLY A GAME is about The Lady Warriors, a girl's basketball team in Minnesota, whose heritage as Somali and Muslim caused some uniform issues. As you can imagine, the modesty required by their religion made playing very difficult. Hijabs had to be refastened in the middle of the game and long sleeves and skirts were both hot and hard to play with.
Enter the Minnesota based Girls Initiative in Recreation and Leisurely Sports (GIRLS). GIRLS is an all-female, culturally appropriate physical activity program located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The organization was founded by Fatimah Hussein as a way to provide culturally appropriate physical activity for Muslim/East African girls in the Cedar-Riverside community.
Hussein and Chelsey Thul, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Minnesota worked with The Tucker Center, and the players to design new uniforms from breathable, fun fabrics. The final design includes leggings and long sleeves as well as a tunic and velcroed break-away hijab for safety.
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| Photo credit: JIM MONE/AP |
Video from Star Tribune.
I was surprised and saddened by the comments after the ONLY A GAME article that focus on difference and distortion instead of unification and facts about Islam. I applaud the girls who helped design a solution to the problem they faced. I find that a lot of clothing manufactured for girls (in and out of the sports realm) are revealing and overly-mature. These are my opinions and not especially the opinions of my Sporty Girl Books co-contributors.
What do you think about current sports uniforms and modesty as it relates to feminism?
I invite your civil comments below.
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