ETSU football to lead Unity March

UPDATE: In an email to ETSU students Tuesday, ETSU Athletics officially announced the Unity March to take place Wednesday at 4 p.m. to create awareness about racial and social injustices in the U.S. The march was organized by the ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and will be led by ETSU football team members.

Those participating are asked to arrive outside the Mini Dome at the west side ramp at 4 p.m. The march will begin at 4:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to follow ETSU COVID-19 safety protocols including mask-wearing and social distancing.

 “I look forward to joining our Buccaneers as we stand in solidarity together,” ETSU Athletic Director Scott Carter said in the email. “These are challenging times for our nation, and by having these difficult conversations and listening to each other, we can have hope for moving forward.”

Previously reported:

ETSU football running back Quay Holmes posted a tweet Monday night containing a note that outlines details for a march on Wednesday starting at 4 p.m. to create awareness about racial injustice.

The note encourages all ETSU athletes to join, including the Buc Spirit teams and the ETSU Marching Band. The note also instructs participants not to wear ETSU sports gear, stating that is “WHAT we are but not WHO we are.” The march will begin at ETSU’s campus and end at Founders Park.

“This march is open to whoever would like to join us to create awareness in East Tennessee about the racial injustice in this country,” the note said. “We will not be doing any football related activities until this march is DONE.”

This tweet comes after the ETSU football team canceled what would have been their first full practice Monday. According to WJHL, the reason for cancellation was unknown.

Also on Monday, ETSU Athletics announced a new Jerseys for Social Justice Video Initiative – a 12-part video series planned by the athletic department’s What’s Important Now committee to share the experiences of Black ETSU student-athletes and coaches. Holmes was the guest of the first video of the series released Tuesday.