In Central League Title Win, Lower Merion Boys Basketball Team Stands Up For Civil Rights

Lower Merion High School's boys basketball team brought home a Central League title Tuesday night, defeating Strath Haven 82-60.

However, the Aces donned political messages on their warm up shirts before the game, showing their support for civil rights.

The boys all wore shirts that read, "I am a Muslim. I am a refugee. I am an immigrant. I am an American. I am an Ace."

According to a report from CityOfBasketballLove.com, two seniors designed the shirts after realizing their not standing during the national anthem may not have effectively communicated their message.

"We had to come together as a team to find a way to spread the message to everybody without them having to go through the coaches to know what’s going on with us,” senior Najja Walker-X told the basketball website.

Here's the Lower Merion warmup shirt: pic.twitter.com/yfKyr1kCfX
— Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) February 15, 2017

Aces Head Coach Gregg Downer told the outlet he fully supports his players, who are selling the shirts for $10 a piece will proceeds benefiting the ACLU.

The team released a statement on the shirt and their message. See the full statement below, courtesy of CityOfBasketballLove.com:

“What’s beautiful about America is that everyone is different. And whether we are black, white, brown, orange, yellow or red, it is our legal right to express our opinions and beliefs. In the last few weeks, our team has been criticized by a few people because some of us choose to sit and others choose to stand for the national anthem. We have not been unified on the issue and we realize we may never be. That is OK. We are free to disagree and have different points of view. We are free to express our first amendment rights.
What we do want to convey, however – as a full team – is that no matter where you come from, no matter who you are, you should be welcomed, respected and heard. As a team we believe in fighting for the rights of all – protecting, defending and giving voice to those who feel marginalized, who live in fear, and who face injustice. We recently met and decided that the best way to express our views on what concerns us about what’s happening in the world is to show a unified front and to wear a t-shirt with a message. Our t-shirts tonight say:
'I am a Muslim. I am a refugee. I am an immigrant. I am an American. I am an Ace.'
The goal of this message is to be inclusive and representative of people of all backgrounds and emphasize that we are all in this together. That no matter who we are and where we’re from, we are all ‘Aces.
Lastly, we want to make clear our respect for those who serve and have served our country defending freedom and liberty. We are forever grateful for your contributions.
Thank you for your consideration and enjoy the game.”

Hot off the win and riding the wave of attention from the political statement, the Aces will look to Friday when they play Central Bucks South int he first round of District playoffs. The game will be at home at 7 p.m. Friday.

Image via Chilli Head, Flickr Commons