Coaches for Action Scores Big in Getting the BIG EAST Conference to Approve Black Lives Matter Patches on Basketball Uniforms for the 2020-2021 Season

By: PRLog

21 Minority Assistant Basketball Coaches Succeed In Achieving Their First Initiative Towards Bringing Awareness to Eliminating Prejudice, Discrimination, and Oppression Against People of Color

NEW YORK - Aug. 26, 2020 - PRLog -- Coaches for Action (CFA) received a tremendous win last week on achieving their first organizational initiative by leveraging their platform of athletics to address social injustices. On August 20th, the BIG EAST Conference announced their support of CFA and its eleven member schools collectively approved CFA's call to action to display Black Lives Matter (BLM) patches on both the men's and women's basketball uniforms for the 2020-2021 season. As planned, the CFA Coaches will wear BLM pins in solidarity.

"We thank the BIG EAST for their partnership in launching this founding initiative of Coaches For Action. Our 21 founding members take their role as basketball coaches of color seriously and remain committed to creating change within the communities of the greatest college basketball league in the country. This action by the BIG EAST and its 11 member universities speaks volumes and says to all that "Black Lives Matter" and should be center court in the lives, experiences, and dreams of our players, coaches, administrators, and supporters during a crucial time in our society," states Dwayne Killings, CFA Founding Member and Assistant Basketball Coach for Marquette University.

This is just the first step for CFA. As action-oriented leaders, the CFA holds itself to the standard of the great pioneers of college basketball and stands on the shoulders of leaders, like John Thompson, to motivate its members to do what is right and just. CFA cites the high percentage of Black men's basketball student-athletes (80%) and head coaches (45%) in the BIG EAST Conference as a reason to assert a leadership stance and give a voice to the prejudices and challenges Black Americans continue to face in everyday life. In addition to the BLM patches, CFA will move into making actionable, impactful, and systemic changes as well as additional calls to action including social justice education, voter engagement, and funding a collegiate scholarship.

"We are very happy the BIG EAST Conference heard our voices and will lead the way in college basketball by accepting our recommendation to display Black Lives Matter patches this upcoming season. This was a great step forward for our group of Assistant Coaches, who are committed to delivering impactful messages through our actions so that we can affect positive change. Our hope is that we can continue to use our platform for social justice issues and to ultimately make things better for young people," states Van Macon, CFA Founding Member and Assistant Basketball Coach for St. John's University.

For more information on CFA and to contribute to the organization's scholarship fund, visit https://www.coachesforaction.com/.

COACHES FOR ACTION
Coaches For Action (CFA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit social justice initiative founded by 21 minority Assistant Basketball Coaches in the BIG EAST Conference on a shared mission to use the platform of athletics to educate and bring awareness to social injustices. The initiative's moral calling and purpose is to bring awareness to injustices that impact their student-athletes, fans, and communities. In all, CFA seeks to generate sustainable action plans to eliminate prejudice, discrimination, and oppression against people of color.  For more information, visit https://www.coachesforaction.com/.

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