The BIG EAST Conference shares the nation’s grief over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the many before them whose lives were lost to callous and senseless acts of violence and bigotry. We and our schools condemn systemic racism in all of its forms, and we are deeply saddened that a country so enriched by its diversity finds itself at yet another agonizing juncture in its history.

In college athletics, we are educators above all, and the values of inclusion, tolerance, respect and equality are at the core of the academic and athletic missions of all of our schools. BIG EAST institutions are located in or near major cities, where diversity is a prized and vibrant part of the fabric of everyday life.  We believe passionately in the power of sports to bring together people of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and creeds, and we are committed to using our platform to erase the stain of persistent racial inequalities in our society and to serve as a force for healing and change. 

To that end, the BIG EAST will actively engage our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group and our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to guide us in our efforts to educate, engage, lead and, most of all, listen in the coming weeks and months. In our work, we will find inspiration in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are extremely proud of our student-athletes, who represent many diverse populations, and we know that they, together with their counterparts across the country, will be part of the solution as we come together to devise a path forward.

Dr. King also told us that the time is always right to do what is right. As we now reckon with who we are and what we stand for as a nation, let us all agree:  the time is now.