Beyond basketball: Utah Black Chamber using NBA All-Star week to highlight, attract diversity

SALT LAKE CITY — While most people view NBA All-Star Weekend as a chance to celebrate some of basketball's greatest talent, Utah Black Chamber President Sidni Shorter saw a different type of opportunity.

"This is an enormous opportunity because there is nothing else that I am aware of that would attract that many Black people to Utah," Shorter said. "The narrative is already out there — 'Why are they doing NBA All-Star in Utah?' with the understanding of who the audience is."

The NBA fan base is, by far, the most racially and ethnically diverse of any North American professional sport league. According to a Nielsen survey, 45% of NBA viewers are Black, making the NBA the only North American sport without a majority white audience.

For Shorter and other members of the Utah Black Chamber, NBA All-Star Weekend is a chance to both highlight the state's diversity and attract more of it.

To accomplish that goal, the Black Chamber is partnering with the NBA, the National Basketball Players Association and other organizations like Microsoft, Zions Bank and Jimmy Choo to showcase Black business success stories in Utah as well as work around diversity and allyship. Events during Feb. 15-19 will span different sectors like education, business and entertainment and will include workshops for middle and high school students, a business pitch competition, art exhibit, virtual Black history museum and Mardi Gras ball.

The theme for the week is "Utah: Black and Open for Business – Quietly Navigating Success," which Shorter said is a reflection of the small but impactful Black community in Utah.

Irumire David Okhumale, chief operating officer of the National Basketball Players Association, said the association often seeks out partnerships with local organizations but that the chamber's way of thinking about the collaboration is unique.

"(The chamber) talked about trying to showcase the Black and diverse businesses in Utah, about building generational wealth, about sharing knowledge through this platform and about giving back — so those are some big things that resonated," Okhumale said. "Historically, it's about just showcasing and having dialogue and discussion. I think now it's looking at the idea of sharing knowledge from a strategic perspective and bringing in the right partners, because sometimes you do these events and you don't have the right partners in the room. That's one thing that struck me in terms of the other individuals that will be in the room."

He said there wasn't concern from the association about the All-Star game being held in Utah given the state's reputation. "We want to promote the game in every market and we have diverse players on almost every team," he said.

Changing the narrative

For Shorter and other members of the Black Chamber, NBA All-Star Weekend is also a chance to change the narrative about race and diversity in Utah, where African Americans make up 1.5% of Utah's population. Shorter, for one, says she is offended by the current narrative.

"Now granted, it was earned. But it's old. We have a long way to go, but what we're doing, I believe, deserves to be elevated," she said. "If we're really serious about creating space for everyone and growing from a diversity standpoint, NBA All-Star is the perfect opportunity to do that. The eyes of the world will be on us."

Utah has made headlines for its poor race relations. One of the most recent examples was comments made by former Jazz player Donovan Mitchell. During an interview with ESPN's Andscape, Mitchell said, "it was just draining" being Black in Utah.

"It's no secret there's a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah off the floor. If I'm being honest with you, I never really said this, but it was draining," Mitchell said in the interview. "It was just draining on my energy just because you can't sit in your room and cheer for me and then do all these different things. I'm not saying specifically every fan, but I just feel like it was a lot of things."

Utah's bad rep has had tangible consequences. For example, Utah businesses often struggle to hire a diverse workforce because of the state's stigma.

Nikki Walker — who oversees DOMO's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts — acknowledged the state still isn't as diverse as it could be, but said companies like DOMO are moving the needle in the right direction by intentionally recruiting diverse talent. Those efforts include partnering with community organizations like the ethnic chambers and conducting recruiting trips to historically black colleges and universities.

"It is why we are making sure that we are covering every single day of NBA All-Star week," she said. "I personally look at Utah as, like, this unfound gem. There are so many opportunities here. ... We are a giant state with a really small-town feel, where we're able to connect with people, and we want to share that message with other African Americans who are going to be here."

Walker added that NBA All-Star Weekend is a chance to showcase other Black experiences in the state.

"That is not the experience of every African American in Utah," Walker said of Mitchell's comments. "We wanted to make sure that when the world's eyes were on us, the community was highlighted so that we were able to showcase exactly who we are, how we are and how we exist in this space."

Sharing the 'good news'

Both Walker and Shorter — who are originally from New Jersey and Louisiana, respectively — hope to share the "good news" about Utah's growing Black community.

"We have a lot of successful Black people in Utah, quiet as it's kept," Shorter said. "You may not hear about it, but there is space. It's not so much about retention; it is about making space."

Walker originally laughed off an offer to interview for a job in Utah. Six years later, she now says she'd never leave Utah and encourages other people of color to open their minds when it comes to the Beehive State.

"People think, 'Oh my gosh, there is no one (Black) there' — but that is so far from the case. Because we are few, we are mighty. We really have a community that supports each other and that helps each other," Walker said. "For the most part, what you'll find in Utah is that people are looking, or are making a serious attempt to look at things through the lens of diversity and figuring out where that inclusion is and how we can make people feel welcome.

"This is the place, right? We say that and we mean that — and it's a place where everyone can find a place."

Walker said she's recruited people of color to Utah, adding, "Some have stayed and flourished; some have left. But I think that we are becoming ambassadors to Utah. I think African American people who live here are starting to share the word with others because there are so many fulfilling opportunities here."

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