Philly Roller Derby stands with Black Diaspora Roller Derby and Team Indigenous Rising Roller Derby. We stand against bigotry, discrimination, and the hate speech condoned at BOTAS 2023. We condemn the events that occurred, including but not limited to: the affront on black personhood to Team Black Diaspora and the denial of the sovereignty of the borderless Team Indigenous Rising, the biased officiating, and the prejudice multiple state teams displayed by requesting the removal of Borderless Teams from the tournament.
We live in a society plagued with white supremacy and we must continuously challenge
ourselves and each other to dismantle bias and racism, across leagues, teams, and other skating communities. We commit ourselves to working within these institutions in pursuit of decolonial and anti-racist change. As part of this, Philly Roller Derby is indefinitely suspending V-Diva’s membership with PRD, effective immediately.
We call in V-Diva and other actors in these overwhelmingly patriarchal and supremacist attitudes to come and work together to dismantle the unfounded hate they displayed this weekend. We also call ourselves in for abetting micro-aggressions and passive racism in the past. We urge tournaments featuring all-star, state, and national teams to craft policies explicitly protecting the space of Borderless Teams within our sport. We urge all involved to not impose on these teams anymore, for their energy, willpower, and tolerance.
We commit to do better with our own biases and continuously work to create a welcoming and just environment for skaters, officials, volunteers, and fans. As a league we will decide which tangible actions to take to improve our policies, league culture, and the education of each member. We commit to being transparent and will share decisions about actions that we implement in order to hold ourselves accountable.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to bod@phillyrollerderby.com.
We are a league of athletes on wheels that brought roller derby back to Philadelphia, PA. Our league is comprised of over 80 skaters, dozens of officials and volunteers, as well as countless fans and supporters. PRD is comprised of three competitive adult travel teams, two competitive junior travel teams, and three competitive home teams—ready to take on any five, any time. To get in touch with PRD regarding events, sponsorships, training, or other opportunities, please contact us.
Philly Roller Derby (PRD) is a skater-owned and operated roller derby league and we are a proud member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Established in 2005, Philly Roller Derby’s mission is simple: to promote health, athleticism, and leadership skills in people of all ages through roller derby training and competition. Working within the organization provides our members with varied opportunities to develop leadership skills and self-esteem, which positively impacts our skaters both on and off the track. PRD strives to develop relationships with other nonprofit organizations and charities and to support groups within the great city of Philadelphia and beyond.