The Humber Hawks men's basketball team wore special Black Heritage Month jerseys they designed themselves to honour Black excellence and heritage while also supporting students.
Athletic Director Ray Chateau said, this season, many of the Humber Hawks teams are championing a cause they feel strongly about.
For example, the women's basketball team wore special warmup jerseys honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit individuals at select home games throughout the season. In 2023, the Humber Hawks men's and women's rugby teams started wearing jerseys designed by a youth-run Indigenous streetwear brand.
"It's not just about putting the jersey on, we want to encourage our student athletes to look at the broader world and how they can use their platform to make a difference," said Chateau.
The Hawks wore the jerseys at the rivalry game with the Sheridan Bruins on February 5. It was a packed house with about 1,500 fans in the gym to watch the Hawks win 90-72 to end the regular season undefeated.
Men's basketball assistant coach Dave Bethune and Chateau brought the idea of the jerseys to the student athletes, who were all for it. A group of the players developed several prototypes, and the team then collectively picked the jersey they wanted to wear.
Following the game, there was an online auction of the jerseys that raised $1,850. That money will be used to support a student scholarship.
Chateau said many of the players bought their own jerseys and that some of Humber's senior administration bought jerseys to give back to the players.
