NEW YORK – BIG EAST Conference men's and women's basketball teams, in recognition of the incomparable impact that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made in his quest for national unity and social justice, will wear shooting shirts before their games this weekend that read, "We Cannot Walk Alone."

The games will precede the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 20, which this year marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the civil rights leader's life and legacy.   

The words "We Cannot Walk Alone" are from the historic "I Have a Dream Speech" that Dr. King delivered on August 23, 1963, in Washington, D.C.  

The BIG EAST's shooting shirts reflect the conference's pledge to develop programming and initiatives that support diverse and inclusive environments across its member school campuses for student-athletes, coaches, staff and communities. 

In 2019, the BIG EAST formed a conference-wide Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, which was tasked with creating a strategic diversity, inclusion and equity roadmap for the conference's institutions.  The roadmap's pillars, which were unanimously approved by BIG EAST Presidents in December, include education/programming, awareness campaigns, and hiring best practices.  The working group has representatives from all 10 BIG EAST schools, including student-athletes.  

The BIG EAST Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has also created a Diversity and Inclusion Officer position to assist conference staff in creating opportunities for student-athletes from different backgrounds to come together and help shape future conference initiatives.  The current SAAC D&I Officer is DePaul track athlete Rutendo Chimbaru. 
 
Men's schedule

Saturday
Seton Hall at St. John's (MSG)
Connecticut at Villanova (WF)
Butler at DePaul
Marquette at Georgetown
Providence at Creighton
 
Women's schedule

Saturday
Georgetown at Villanova

Sunday
Providence at Seton Hall
Marquette at Xavier
Creighton at St. John's
DePaul at Butler
 
The BIG EAST:
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of ten nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments.  The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,500 student-athletes on over 180 men's and women's teams in 22 sports.  Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST's members are located in seven of the country's top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John's University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.  For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.