VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova Athletics and UNITAS are proud to announce several events in celebration of Black History Month.

While opportunities for learning about the important legacies of Black people and communities are available throughout the year, February marks a special time where individuals can amplify their messages and raise their voices on crucial issues related to Black history, heritage, and culture.

In conjunction with the BIG EAST Conference and the Black Fives Foundation, Villanova Athletics will honor and celebrate pioneers from the "Black Five" era as part of its Black History Month celebration. The Black Five was a league comprised of independent African American basketball teams prior to the integration of the National Basketball Association in 1950. Both the Men's and Women's basketball teams will wear shooting shirts representing teams from the Black Five era, and coaches will wear a "Make History Now" pin. The Men's team will wear Philadelphia Panthers shooting shirts for the Marquette (Feb. 2) and UConn (Feb .5) games, and the Women's team will represent the Tribune Girls at the St. John's (Feb. 4) and Georgetown (Feb. 6) games.

As part of the month-long celebration, UNITAS has planned a movie night and virtual run in remembrance of Ahmaud Arbery. Throughout February, Villanova student-athletes and staff will be highlighted on UNITAS Twitter and Instagram channels to amplify their stories and voices within the Villanova community. Videos from 28 Days and Beyond and episodes of the 13^th Percent Podcast will also be shared. UNITAS it is committed to building a community of belonging, inclusivity, unity and love during Black History Month, for everyone through programs, initiatives and digital content that will be shared all throughout the month for crucial issues related to Black history, heritage, and culture.

A full schedule of events for the month can be found below:

Wednesday, Feb. 2: Movie Night - "Love and Basketball"
7 p.m. – Mullen Center
 
Wednesday, Feb. 2: Men's Basketball at Marquette
10 p.m. - Milwaukee, WI
 
Friday, Feb. 4: Women's Basketball at St. John's
2 p.m. – Queens, NY
 
Saturday, Feb. 5: Men's Basketball vs UConn
12 p.m. – Wells Fargo Center
 
Sunday, Feb. 6: Women's Basketball vs Georgetown
2 p.m. – Finneran Pavilion

Wednesday, Feb. 23: Ahmaud Arbery's Run at Your Leisure
In honor and remembrance of Ahamud Abery who was killed on Feb. 23, 2020, UNITAS is encouraging people to take a 2.23 mile run at their leisure. Tag @nova_unitas on Twitter and Instagram with posts, photos or videos from your run.
 
UNITAS is a framework to build a welcoming and supportive athletic department through constructive dialogs, educational programming and community engagement. Through UNITAS, Villanova Athletics is committed to fostering an inclusive, anti-bigotry environment where every member of the community has a voice and feels respected, valued and safe.