Social Change + Community Resources
Throughout Jerry Reinsdorf’s 40-year ownership tenure, the Chicago White Sox have taken a leadership role within Major League Baseball and across all sports in the arena of diversity and inclusion.
From philanthropy and outreach to Chicago’s underserved communities and driving business to diverse partners to celebrating and empowering minorities on the field and in the front office, the club passionately and proudly promotes equality, fosters positive social change and fights against racism in all its forms.
Given this longstanding commitment, the White Sox vow to continue to listen, learn and grow.
In honor of freedom #Juneteenth
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 19, 2020
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Take Action
The White Sox remain steadfast in our commitment to support positive and meaningful change in our community. Below please find a resource guide to help you engage on your journey to create change.
Diversity + Inclusion
From Comiskey Park serving as the home of the historic East-West Negro League All-Star Game from 1933-60, to employing one of MLB's first female scouts (Bessie Largent from 1925-43), to becoming the first MLB team to hire an African-American general manager (Ken Williams) and manager (Jerry Manuel), the White Sox have a long history of celebrating diversity on the baseball diamond.
A diversity of views and opinions only makes our team and community stronger. The White Sox are passionate about creating a culture that promotes and values diversity and inclusion. Take a look through the growing legacy of White Sox moments of diversity on the field.
Among some of the many honors and awards presented to Jerry Reinsdorf and the White Sox for the organization’s commitment to diversity:
- 2007 - Honored at the 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dinner and celebration for longstanding support
- 2011 – Jefferson Award, the “Nobel Prize for Public Service”
- 2011 – Barnes and Thornburg Jackie Robinson Award for diversity in the workplace
- 2011 – MLB Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence for club’s Volunteer Corps
- 2012 – Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in sports philanthropy
- 2015 – John “Buck” O’Neil Legacy Award for outstanding support of the Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame
- 2017 – Finalist, ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year
- 2018 – MLB Club Appreciation Award for contributions to Diverse Business Partners program
Diversity on the Field
The White Sox organization's ACE youth baseball program has helped send more than 200 players from some of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods to college, including an NCAA National Champion and two first-round draft picks.
Diversity in Business
Diverse Business Partner Program
Reinsdorf, who long served on MLB's equal opportunity committee, was instrumental in the creation of baseball's $2 billion Diverse Business Partners program in 1998. The White Sox feature one of baseball's best Supplier Diversity Utlization Rates, an organization's supplier diversity spend percentage compared to the total supplier's spend.
The White Sox are proud to support our Diverse Business Partners:
Food
Promotional Items
- Cotapaxi
- Coyote Promotions
- Eagle Promotions
- Kloanz
- Promo Shop
- Success Promotions
- American Casuals
- API
- Konik & Co.
- Levy Recognition
- CPI Creative
- Bienali Promotions
- Leader Promos
- Strathmore
- Sunrise Hitek
- Clyde Printing: Commerical printing services at 3520 S Morgan St #2, Chicago, IL 60609
- Liberty Creative Solutions
- M&G Graphics
Other
- Tailor-Rite: Dry cleaning and clothing care located at 8459 S. Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60619
- Excel Screen Printing/Embroidery
- Stitch Me
- Windy City Silkscreen: custom printing and embroidery services at 2715 S. Archer, Chicago, IL 60608
- Pro-Am Team Sports
- Cushing Co.
- Martin Branding Group
- Signarama
- Inter-City Supply
Advocating for Social Change
The White Sox are committed to building a welcoming environment for all people by introducing programming that drives positive social change in the community. “BasebALL: One Game for All” is a White Sox diversity and inclusion initiative that emphasizes the importance of being kind to others, advocating for the acceptance of individual differences through the shared language of sports.
Community Unity Nights
Together with former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin (1st District), Congressman Danny Davis (7th District), the White Sox annually join those who have lost friends and loved ones to gun violence in the city for a special pre-game event to talk about the violence issues affecting our community and promote peace and unity.
Empowering Communities
Chicago White Sox Charities annually aids hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans through its many donations and charity outreach to agencies across the community. Other impactful empowerment examples include:
Now in its second decade of making a positive, lasting impact on the people and organizations within underserved neighborhoods of Chicago, the White Sox Volunteer Corps has participated in nearly 500 events, from school and social service center beautification projects to park clean-ups and builds in partnership with the Chicago Park District. Approximately 5,000 Volunteer Corps members have logged more than 52,000 hours of service!
Youth Guidance Becoming A Man (BAM)
The White Sox began supporting Becoming A Man (BAM) in 2012 as part of the team’s shared commitment to help Chicago’s youth living in at-risk situations. The team has arranged for members of the front office to engage BAM youth groups in thoughtful conversation, offered mentoring opportunities, welcomed participants to games, provided ballpark tours, and organized career presentations. The White Sox also work with Youth Guidance’s Working on Womanhood (WOW) program, offering similar experiences and events to help mentor young women living in at-risk situations.
Multicultural Community Activations
More than a decade of multicultural community outreach initiatives have been driven with the purpose of being in the neighborhoods where our African-American and Latino fans live. Each initiative concentrates on supporting events, programs and activities that celebrate culture, support economic neighborhood development and youth health and wellness.
In 2019, the White Sox were present at 48 different events in the community, engaging with a total attendance of more than 2.7 million attendees at various events.
Fostering Inclusive Spaces
In 2019, the White Sox created new ballpark spaces to make every guest’s experience enjoyable, including a Sensory Room and Mother’s Nursing Room.
The Sensory Room features a quiet space with elements, such as textured walls and specialized lighting, as well as tools like weighted lap blankets to help guests alleviate sensory overload. In addition, the White Sox providing training to educate staff about helping guests with sensory issues, earning its Sensory Inclusive Certification from KultureCity.
Community Partners
The White Sox have teamed up with the following partners who are committed to supporting our under-resourced communities, and the club encourages everyone to learn more about them and their efforts. With a donation to Chicago White Sox Charities, you can support the work of these non-profits and their important work.
