Founder and CEO of Eyekonz Field Hockey and Lacrosse, Jazmine A. Smith is a mother, former athlete, coach and businesswoman dedicated to inspiring young Black and Latinx kids to be their very best. The program was created to serve the needs of inner-city girls and boys from kindergarten up to high school living in the greater Philadelphia area. Currently, they have sports programs in 14 schools around Philadelphia.

Lacrosse and field hockey aren’t sports known for their racial diversity. Lacrosse, a team sport where players try to throw a rubber ball into a netted goal using a netted stick, only has two Black players out of the 171 listed on the 2019 online roster for its six major league teams. Though white players dominate the sport, Native American tribes actually shaped and sculpted the game. Field hockey, on the other hand, is comprised of two opposing teams that use sticks curved to hit a small, hard ball into their opponent’s goal. Similar to lacrosse, the sport does not have many Black players. In addition to introducing diverse young athletes to field hockey and lacrosse, Eyekonz also provides a fun way to stay active and get fit.

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