Brown Girls Do Gymnastics is a Force Supporting Brown Gymnasts
Brown Girls Do Gymnastics (BGDG) is an advocacy organization that helps guide Brown Girls through their gymnastics and acrobatic careers. Founded in 2015 by Coach Derrin Moore, BGDG's mission is to "increase access (through providing coaching, training, and programming) and expand outreach in the sport of gymnastics."
One recent example of how BGDG's programming supported the increase of diversity and inclusion in gymnastics while simultaneously supporting brown girls' gymnastics careers was through recruiting rising star Diamond Cook for Talladega College at BGDG's Camp Isla.
Of this success, Moore says, "Everything happened as it was intended. God had his hands all over this one. Diamond was supposed to register at another location, but they didn't realize it. I happened to be at the gym already and told Diamond and her mom how to connect to the app that we were using. I honestly believe that if she hadn't shown up in the "wrong place," things may not have gone as quickly as they did."
One of BGDG's primary goals is to "provide financial support and other forms of support to underrepresented gymnasts." In 2021, this came to life as a conversation with Fisk University's board of trustees about Black women competing in gymnastics and the university building a team.
Moore explains, "We helped Fisk navigate the launch of the inaugural team by developing a relationship with their training space, helping to solidify their coaching staff and through the recruiting process of their gymnasts. We helped facilitate media communications during the month prior to the hire of the Head Coach. We also held our 6th Annual BGDG Conference and Camp Isla™ on the Fisk Campus in 2022, which was featured in The New York Times."
BGDG will also support Talladega's gymnastics team as its inaugural season begins. Moore explained, "We will help fill in the gaps of a new program. We all know that HBCUs have historically been underfunded and under-resourced. We want to do what we can to help this inaugural team flourish." In addition to Diamond Cook's recruitment, four other Talladega Gymnasts attended BGDG events last summer.
Moore's relationship with HBCUs began in her childhood when Florida A&M University was a cultural institution in her family. "My family had season tickets to all the FAMU games," she states in The Tallahassee Democrat. Moore later enrolled at Xavier University of Louisiana, and while there, she made her first-ever plea for an HBCU to start a gymnastics program; they suggested she join the cheerleading squad. She followed her heart, left her pharmacy studies, and pursued a career in gymnastics and acrobatics that has spawned many successes for brown girls. She is also the owner and head coach of In Flight Gymnastics & Circus.
Her relationship with HBCUs stretches beyond Fisk and Talladega. In our conversation, she lists the collaborations that have emerged over the past few years: "The 7th Annual BGDG Conference held at Clark Atlanta University concluded in July, 2023 with gymnasts from 33 states and three countries in attendance. We had the very first HBCU Gymnastics Sponsored Competition at Grambling State in 2021. Our Collegiate Exhibition has had gymnasts from over 10 Collegiate Gymnastics teams. The very first HBCU Gymnastics Camp was held at NCAT during the summer of 2022. Fisk's team has several gymnasts who attended BGDG events last summer."
Moore explained, "Most importantly, we are bringing attention to the issues in our beloved sport around Black and Brown gymnasts that need to be addressed. We have given access to gymnasts who may not have had it before. We have helped change the landscape of the sport and we are advocating for our Brown Girls! I'm just excited about the growth. I'm excited that we get to help more Black and Brown gymnasts feel like they belong!"