The UNC Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) released a statement on Wednesday expressing its support for the Black community.

The statement, which was signed in coordination with athletic director Bubba Cunningham, offers support to current and former Black student-athletes at UNC and says racist comments and micro-aggressions will no longer go unchallenged.

Read the complete statement below:

In light of the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others, the UNC Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) would like to express its solidarity with the Black community. The UNC student-athlete body is incredibly diverse, and we would be remiss to stay silent during this time. 

To all of our Black student-athletes, current and former, we stand with you. We hear you. We feel you. And we love you. Your value extends far beyond your playing field, and you are so much more than a gifted athlete that helps us win championships. Although every SAAC member can’t fully understand the pain that you all are going through, we vow to do everything in our power to ensure that there doesn’t have to be another hashtag, another Black person wrongfully murdered simply due to the color of their skin. We must be better. 

We understand that non-racism is no longer enough. We must all aim to be actively anti-racist. We can no longer allow racist comments or micro-aggressions to go by unchallenged because we don’t want to start drama. We must hold each other accountable in a similar manner to how we do in practice and in games. 

We fully understand that a statement is not enough. Educate yourself. Simply saying you don’t know what to say is not a valid excuse anymore.Here are some resources to help. 

We call on everyone to support, if you are able, funds such as Black Lives Matter, The National Bail Fund Network, The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and countless others. Use your voices and platforms to denounce racism and police brutality. Sign as many petitions as you possibly can.

We encourage all of our student-athletes and supporters to join us in this fight.

In addition, the SAAC offered ways that UNC’s athletic department will move forward, including:

  • Hiring more Black people in leadership positions
  • Creating student-athlete groups to educate White student-athletes
  • Including Diversity and Inclusion trainings for coaches and athletes at the beginning of each year
  • Educating and encouraging student-athletes to vote through early voting, mail-in voting, or on Election Day
  • Including a student-athlete of color on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee
  • Providing an avenue for student-athletes to give feedback and ideas on diversity and inclusion efforts
  • Using the Three Es and Five Vs (PDF) to guide the UNC Department of Athletics

The statement was signed by Cunningham and the UNC SAAC executive board, which includes:

  • Rachel Jones (women’s soccer), SAAC President
  • Jill Shippee (track & field), SAAC Executive Board
  • Charlie Roth (fencing), SAAC Executive Board
  • Mary-O Soule (swimming & diving), SAAC Executive Board
  • Daniel McArthur (track & field), SAAC Executive Board

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