The Atlanta Hawks have announced plans for the first-ever “Unity Day.” The event will occur on October 10th as they take on the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Unity Day is designed as a “unique game experience, celebrating multicultural groups, diverse populations and organizations committed to improving relations amongst different groups” according to the Hawks.
According to the team, the concept behind the event was created at an all-employee forum. Employees were challenged to create ways in which the team could strengthen the community in light of “unsettling and alarming events around the nation.”
Plans for Unity Day include the following:
- Hawks and Cavs players will be featured in various videos speaking about the importance of unity shown throughout the game
- The halftime ceremony will include a speech from Derreck Kayongo, CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
- The Hawks will give donations to the aforementioned center as well as other organizations “that are embodying and delivering messages of respect, tolerance and peace through their work”
There has been a lot of talk about social injustice even in the world of sports, recently. Colin Kaepernick’s protest in the NFL has created a conversation that is seeping into the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks’ event does not seem directly related to that protest. Nevertheless, it is a worthy cause and this seems like a great way to show support for that message.
