BC Men's Basketball and Jim Christian Release Statements on Racial Inequality
Boston College men's basketball and head coach Jim Christian released two statements today that address the death of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and systemic racism in the United States.
Team Statement:
In the statement above, the team hits on their stance on racial inequality "is our responsibility to amplify our voices against racism and hatred, the actions it has demonstrated, and the suffering it causes". The program also lays out how they are going to address this problem:
- We will hold no mandatory basketball-related activities on Election Day - Nov. 3.
- As a team, we will register to vote and participate in discussions to better understand the issues that affect our communities at the local, state, and national-levels.
- We will work within our communities to help share these powerful lessons
- We will encourage our fellow Boston College student-athletes and teams to join us and do the same.
Statement from men's basketball head coach Jim Christian:
“Over the last week and a half, we are all experiencing pain, anger, and sadness with the murder of George Floyd. As so many important societal issues are now at the forefront, I recognize that I could have and should have done more as a coach and an educator to ensure that discussion and exploration of social justice issues was an integral part of our basketball program.
Many of these issues - that have gone unaddressed for far too long - are ones that deeply impact our players, their family and loved ones, and their communities on a daily basis. I will continue to educate myself and seek ways to empower our players to enact the lasting change our society so desperately needs. I am extremely proud and fortunate for the opportunity to work with our team. They are bright, young leaders. They are our future. We all have so much to learn from them.”
The BC team is the second collegiate program to make this pledge to give athletes the day off, joining Georgia Tech who announced their commitment yesterday. Boston College athletics continues to be deeply involved in the cause of racial inequality, as recently former safety Justin Simmons spoke at a rally, Matt Ryan donated $500k to African American, and countless current and former players have spoken out on it and participated in the various rallies across the country
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