The Kent State men’s basketball team is taking a stand for racial and national unity.
The Golden Flashes invited fans of different races onto to the floor Thursday to stand with them for the national anthem before their home opener against Mississippi Valley State. Each player picked a fan, whose race differed from his own, out of the crowd to stand shoulder-to-shoulder during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Kent State president Beverly Warren was one of the fans asked to come onto the floor.
“We understand all of the issues going on in our world,” sophomore point guard Jalen Avery said, according to The Associated Press. “In these times, we felt it was important to show a sign of unity in our community. Our meaning behind it was to let everybody aware of all the things that are going on in our country know that we wanted to make a stand for unity. That was basically our symbol, and we wanted to treat everybody as one.”
Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said the players spawned the idea. Coaches and Kent State’s athletics department cleared them to make the extraordinary gesture.
“The statement they wanted to make was that ‘I am greater than that. I’m a person,’ Senderoff said. “We are all people, and we are going to try and bring some unity here on campus. I think they made a positive statement with what they did.”
Kent State plans to show such unity before each home game this season.
The good vibes seemed to help the Golden Flashes, as they beat Mississippi Valley State 93-63.
Thumbnail photo via photo via YouTube/GoldenFlashesTV
