This Program Is Bringing Youth Of Color Into A Sport Dominated By White Men

Washington, D.C., has made headlines over the past several months for upticks in crime within the city limits. The nation’s capital has emerged as one of the country’s hot spots for carjackings , even as violent crime has waned somewhat across the U.S. What has been unique about much of the crime in the Washington area is that a disproportionate amount appears to be attributable to teenagers and young adults .

Experts say that the rise in youth crime can be chalked up to a variety of causes — desperate circumstances, a desire to make some quick cash, or the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic . Washington also holds the worst Black-white unemployment ratio in the entire country , according to the Economic Policy Institute think tank — with vastly disproportionate unemployment rates in wards 7 and 8, underserved and predominantly Black areas in the district.

The National Links Trust — a nonprofit whose mission is to make the largely white male sport of golf more accessible and affordable — wants to provide Washington’s youths with another option: finding themselves on the links.

“Golf is a $1 billion industry,” said David Daniels, the director of community engagement for the National Links Trust. “And there have always been barriers to entry for Black and brown people. We want to introduce minorities to the game, but also show them how they can have careers in this space.”

Examples might include “golf architects, landscaping, club manufacturing,” he said, adding that the nonprofit seeks to ask students, “How do you see yourself in golf?”

Daniels recruits for the Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program , an internship that provides Washington youths with lifelong practical skills, job training, a source of income