Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Kinesiology Departments

Abstract

While kinesiology as a field and as an academic major has evolved and diversified considerably over the last several decades, the cultural and racial demographics of kinesiology majors has remained fairly similar to the demographic characteristics of the early 2000s and before. There is incongruence between the actual diversity of the American population and the diversity of the population in American higher education. This disparate status further extends to kinesiology programs and subsequent subdisciplines. While the responsible systemic racial and cultural variables are worthy to be considered, examined, and corrected, this article does not drill into such constructs. Instead, this article identifies the barriers and facilitators of cultural and racial demographics as expressed by kinesiology majors and kinesiology-related professionals in higher education kinesiology programs and the allied health professions. This article discusses the importance of actively promoting kinesiology to diverse populations in the community. It amplifies the message of many scholars calling attention to a lack of diversity, as well as promotes selected effective strategies being initialized in kinesiology departments and among the allied health professions.