BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Patriot League student-athletes, coaches and staff will display their commitment to the pursuit of Anti-Racism during contests held the weekend of April 9-11.
During the weekend, more than 4,000 student-athletes, coaches and staff with more than 100 Patriot League teams will wear special warm-up shirts adorned with a Black fist surrounded by 10 stars to represent each of the League's member institutions and the phrase "Pursuing Anti-Racism." The shirt's back will feature the words "Unity, Respect, Activism" to signify the values under which the League will continue to pursue the goal of Anti-Racism.
The unified message being sent by student-athletes, coaches and staff continues to show widespread support from around the Patriot League. League’s men’s and women’s basketball programs previously symbolized their commitment to the work of Anti-Racism by wearing the warm-up shirts during games held on the weekend of Feb. 20-21. The expansion of the effort to include all teams competing in the spring was advocated for by the Patriot League’s Student-Athletes of Color (SAOC) Leadership Council and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“This weekend not only signifies unity across Patriot League sports, but also actively shows our support for Black and Brown communities on our campuses,” said Halie Mariano, chair of the Patriot League SAAC and a Bucknell graduate and former softball student-athlete. “I’m excited to see institutions coming together on a timely and important issue that continues to effect student-athletes across the country.”
“The Anti-Racism warm-up shirts represent a League-wide commitment to support Black and Brown communities, and will be sported by student-athletes during our upcoming Anti-Racism Weekend,” said Keelah Dixon, the co-chair of the Patriot League SAOC Leadership Council and a Colgate women’s basketball student-athlete. “As co-chair of SAOC Leadership Council, I am thrilled to see the Patriot League show a unified solidarity toward uplifting Black and Brown student-athletes while allowing SAOC to express pride and honor for their unique identities and other underrepresented identities across the Patriot League through these shirts.”
“We are proud to support our student-athletes in their commitment to the pursuit of Anti-Racism and their continued dedication to social justice,” Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. “These weekends are an important visual representation of the daily work being done by our student-athletes to influence change.”
In addition to the warm-up shirts, messaging from the Patriot League Anti-Racism Commission will be displayed in competition venues, voiced during game broadcasts and on the League's social media channels.
ABOUT THE WARM-UP SHIRT AND ANTI-RACISM LOGO
The decision to develop the logo and the warm-up shirt is based on widespread support from the Patriot League's men's and women's basketball student-athletes as a symbol of their dedication to supporting Black and Brown communities.
The design was a collaborative effort that originated with Lehigh women's basketball student-athletes Mary Clougherty and Katie Rice, and Bucknell women's basketball student-athlete Abby Kapp on behalf of the Patriot League Basketball Social Justice Coalition, a group comprised of Patriot League men's and women's basketball student-athletes. The student-athletes worked with the League office staff members and the Patriot League Anti-Racism Commission to design the logo and shooting shirt that the student-athletes wore for games on Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21.
The shooting shirt logo was designed not only as a symbol but a call to action from the League's student-athletes.
"As athletes, we feel that this logo would be important for teams to participate in wearing to show our allyship and solidarity for teammates, coaches, and competitors of color," Clougherty said. "We do acknowledge that wearing a logo is not the lone solution. There need to be conversations among teams. There need to be commitments made to education and understanding. There need to be actions taken. This logo is one step in showing our schools, athletics departments, and teams that we are committed to change."
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.