Naimah Muhammad (Fisk) - 1st HBCU Gymnast to Compete
Talladega Gymnastics Team
Diamond Cook (Wilberforce) at WCGNIC Nationals 2025
Gymnast at BGDG X Grambling Conference
Join the HBCU Gymnastics movement to ensure that your university is included in this monumental moment.
PETITION TO SEE HBCU GYMNASTICS THRIVE
To the Presidents, Boards, and Athletic Administrations of Historically Black Colleges and Universities:
We, the undersigned—alumni, students, fans, faculty, staff, families, and supporters of HBCUs—urge you to take immediate and bold action to preserve and grow HBCU Gymnastics programs across the country.
The recent announcement that Fisk University will discontinue its gymnastics program following the 2025–2026 season, along with Talladega College’s abrupt cancellation after just one year, is deeply troubling. These pioneering programs were never meant to stand alone. They were intended to light the path for others to follow.
We believe in the power and potential of HBCU Gymnastics—not only as a sport, but as a movement that uplifts the entire Black and Brown community. These programs bring:
Academically strong and civically engaged students
New enrollment pipelines and national media visibility
Opportunities for young Black and Brown gymnasts to compete in an affirming, culturally aligned space
Economic benefits through events, recruitment, and donor interest
Cultural pride and institutional legacy building
We call on HBCU leaders to see the bigger picture. Gymnastics may be unfamiliar territory for some campuses, but it is fertile ground. We need institutions that are willing to stick with it—because that commitment is what makes room for others to join, so that one day, gymnastics will be a sanctioned sport across our HBCU athletic conferences.
Brown Girls Do Gymnastics stands ready to lead. Through the HBCU Gymnastics Alliance, the annual HBCU Gymnastics Classic, and grassroots development, we are prepared to serve as a facilitator and partner. We are also exploring the creation of an independent HBCU Gymnastics Conference to ensure these athletes have a lasting home and platform.
We urge you—HBCU administrators, trustees, and decision-makers—to choose legacy, vision, and community investment. Don't let this moment pass. The time to secure the future of HBCU Gymnastics is now.
Sign your name below and stand with us to protect and elevate HBCU Gymnastics.
“The Fisk women’s gymnastics program is slated to begin this Fall and the enthusiasm has been nothing short of inspiring. The partnership with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics is highly innovative and we are so excited for the future of Fisk athletics.”
On February 11, 2022, Fisk University announced that they were partnering with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics to assemble the first HBCU Gymnastics team in US history.
After 8 consecutive years of the Brown Girls Do Gymnastics conferences, 2 Camps, dozens of celebrity-endorsed campaigns, and a comprehensive advocacy research study from The Doug Williams Center, we know that now is the time for HBCUs to get involved.
That’s why BGDG has created HBCU Gymnastics, a network of innovative institutions and exclusive resources cultivated to build pathways for Black and Brown gymnasts to thrive in athletics and academics.
