MIAMI, February 1 – The 2014-15 season marks the 12th year the Miami HEAT will pay tribute to Black History Month with a comprehensive campaign spanning multiple media platforms and outlets. Pepsi is the presenting sponsor of the Black History Month initiative. The HEAT will present a series of vignettes focusing on the notable achievements of various African-Americans who have helped change the course of history with their contributions in sports, literature, the arts, the community, education, science, music and the military. [caption align="left"][[{"fid":"142333","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Black History Month","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Black History Month"},"type":"media","attributes":{"alt":"Black History Month","title":"Black History Month","style":"margin-bottom: 5px; display: block; font-size: 11.1478567123413px; line-height: 20.0063037872314px; text-align: center;","class":"media-element file-default"}}]][/caption]In addition, the Sixth Annual Black History Month Challenge presented by Pepsi, will be hosted at AmericanAirlines Arena on February 24th. Students from two local schools—North Miami Senior High School (Miami-Dade) and Ft. Lauderdale High School (Broward)—will compete against each another by answering Black History trivia questions. HEAT Vice President of Player Programs Alonzo Mourning and Director of College and Pro Scouting Keith Askins will join HEAT Television Host and Courtside Reporter Jason Jackson at the event. The winning school will be given a $4,000 educational grant courtesy of the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund with the runner up receiving a $500 educational grant.The vignettes feature HEAT players, executives, and coaches telling the stories of heroes and heroic events, saluting the significant sacrifices required by so many in becoming a part of the collective history and fabric of our nation. FOX’s Sun Sports will air the vignettes in its pre-game and post-game segments throughout the month of February. The vignettes will also be highlighted as part of the HEAT experience—online, in-arena, and in print as featured in TIPOFF magazine. Included among the 20 subjects that will be featured in the month-long tribute are sports figures such as Frank Robinson, Wilma Rudolph, Serena and Venus Williams and the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters. HEAT forward Danny Granger will pay tribute to his distant relative, internationally renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. The HEAT also will recognize several important groups and figures in the proud tradition of the American Armed Forces. President Pat Riley will pay tribute to Branch Rickey, the former general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who helped pave the way for the entrance of black athletes in all of sports when he signed Jackie Robinson to play professional baseball in 1946. HEAT legend Alonzo Mourning, who has personally invested so much of his time, energy and resources to help inspire and assist those in need throughout the South Florida community, takes us through the historical journey of Overtown, a once burgeoning business and entertainment district that continues its efforts to recover and rebuild.
As they have in each of the last nine years, the HEAT will make the video vignettes available to all schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties through a partnership with BECON and WLRN, both of whom provide educational programming to schools in those districts. The team will also make available on its website and to the schools a piece featuring key passages from the famed “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. A complete list of the subjects and those HEAT players and coaches who relay the stories, is included below.Sports 1. The Harlem Globetrotters - Bob McAdoo 2. Wilma Rudolph - Josh McRoberts 3. Venus and Serena Williams - Dwyane Wade 4. Frank Robinson - Erik Spoelstra 5. Branch Rickey - Pat Riley Events 6. The March on Washington - Udonis Haslem 7. Little Rock 9 - Juwan Howard 8. 16th Street Church Bombings - Shabazz Napier Artists/Authors 9. Lena Horne - David Fizdale 10. Sidney Poitier - Chris Bosh 11. Miles Davis/John Coltrane - Keith Askins 12. Mahalia Jackson - Danny Granger 13. Quincy Jones - Keith Smart Science 14. Mae Jemison - Norris Cole Famous Works 15. Desmond Tutu - Luol Deng Politics and Military 16. Abraham Lincoln - Alonzo Mourning 17. Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr. - Mario Chalmers Community 18. Overtown - Alonzo Mourning “I Have A Dream” Speech Tribute 19. Alonzo MourningIn addition, the United States Marines Corps will sponsor a weekly :40 second vignette on a separate series of pioneers that will also air within the February telecasts. Those vignettes include: Chris “Dutch” Huiswoud, the first African-American referee certified by the AAU; Clarence “Fats” Jenkins, arguably the greatest baseball and basketball player of his time whose career spanned four different decades; Smart Set Athletic Club, the first fully independent African-American basketball team turned home games into empowering social events; and Major Aloysius Hart, who formed the first all-black pay-for-play basketball team, opening the door for professionalism.