AUBURN, Ala. — In collaboration with the Auburn Athletics Task Force on Inclusion and Race Relations, and in response to its recommendations made on August 28, Auburn Athletics announced the Together We Will initiative on Thursday. The goal of the initiative is to support and advance the Auburn Family in its quest toward positive action on diversity, equity and inclusion.
As a part of the Together We Will initiative, Auburn athletic teams will incorporate the Auburn Unity Symbol on their uniforms, equipment, warm-up gear or travel bags. The logo serves as a visual representation of people from all walks of life coming together and uniting as one.
"Every family is made up of people with individual thoughts and at times family members disagree. Families also love and support each other despite those disagreements. Through sport, there is an opportunity to acknowledge differing points of view and unite for a greater purpose," director of athletics Allen Greene said. "The Auburn Unity Symbol represents the oneness we seek to instill in our teams and throughout our community. I applaud the leadership of our coaches, staff and student-athletes for their efforts. Lastly, I encourage the Auburn Family to embrace what makes us unique and enthusiastically support Together We Will."
Fans are encouraged to support the initiative by purchasing the official Auburn Unity shirt through the AU Team Shop. A portion of proceeds will go to the newly created Together We Will Scholarship, created to support the University's efforts to achieve a robust and diverse enrollment of students while enhancing access, affordability and academic quality. Supporters can also make a financial contribution directly to the scholarship https://alumniq.auburn.edu/giving/to/together.
"This is an important time for the Auburn Family to unite together towards a common cause," football coach Gus Malzahn said. "The unity t-shirts will help raise money to make a difference towards scholarships that promote diversity and inclusion. I encourage everyone to join together and support this initiative."
"At Auburn University, we're here to make a difference," men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. "Auburn is the loveliest village on the plains, unique in its character, and we want to share it with everyone. Through individual contributions and the sale of t-shirts, we are going to create scholarships to recruit and retain students, promote diversity and inclusion and make Auburn an even better university. Together we will."
More information related to the Together We Will initiative, as well as other sustainable action items from the Auburn Athletics Task Force on Inclusion and Race Relations will be announced throughout the 2020-21 academic year.