The Bulls celebrate Black History Month and the vibrant culture of the Black community in the past, present and future.
“The Bulls support of the Black community extends beyond February and into all areas of our business. It’s infused in the way we create culture with our employees, our support of community partners and the way we connect with our fans,” said Adrienne Scherenzel, vice president of community engagement at the Chicago Bulls. “As part of this year’s celebration, we’re proud to spotlight three Black power couples who have had an immense impact on our city, host a summit to support local Black and Brown-owned businesses and deliver in-arena experiences that reflect Black excellence of the past, present and future.”
Black History Month Game, presented by Crown Royal Regal Apple
The Bulls will host their annual Black History Month game, presented by Crown Royal Regal Apple, on Feb. 28 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The night will feature the HBCU Alumni Choir singing the National Anthem under the direction of Morehouse College alumnae Martin Woods followed by a Divine Nine-Step halftime performance. Rich and Shea Gardner, Founders of Maroon Village, will be Honorary Captains. The Gardner’s founded Maroon Village to uplift under-resourced communities and to support student-athletes in challenging situations across Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
As with every home game in February, the Musical Arts Institute, Uniting Voices Chicago and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, will perform the Black National Anthem Lift Every Voice & Sing under the direction of Michael Manson and the team will wear Black History Month shooting shirts.
Meet Some of Chicago’s Black Power Couples
Black power couples represent a dynamic force in the landscape of Black excellence. To honor their community impact, the Bulls and Crown Royal Regal Apple are highlighting two couples who demonstrate love, achievement, resilience and aspiration.
- Christian and Liz Jones, Founders of Lymari Media. Established in 2021, Lymari Media shares untold African history stories with a vision to create engaging content for all ages while amplifying Black voices and strengthening connections to African history.
- Monica Haslip and Lizz Wright, Founders of community-focused initiative Carver 47 and Little Black Pearl. Created for Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood, this program aims to unite the community through accessible food and art, providing a safe space for artistic expression while Lizz Wright curates the nature-focused menu at Carver 47.
Supporting Bulls Employees
In addition to celebrating Black culture in the community, the Bulls are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture for employees. The Bulls have three Employee Resource Groups, including BOLD, Black Opportunity Leadership Development. Founded in 2020, BOLD’s mission is to celebrate and promote the contribution of Black employees within the Bulls organization, provide an environment to discuss societal issues, create opportunity for development and networking and provide organizational resources. This month, BOLD hosted several celebrations, volunteer opportunities and development events, including a fireside chat with Grant Thornton Executive Leader Rashada Whitehead. For the past three years, the Bulls have also participated in the HBCU Fellowship powered by the NBA Foundation in partnership with Children’s Defense Fund & Fearless Dialogues, aimed to provide career development opportunities in the business of basketball for undergraduate and graduate students from HBCUs.
Bulls x BMO Business Summit
In partnership with BMO, the Bulls tipped off Black History Month by hosting their inaugural Business Summit to support local Black and Brown-owned businesses. The summit is an extension of the organizations’ 4th annual Black-Owned Business initiative and is designed to encourage collaboration, development and relationship building among entrepreneurs in Chicago. To learn more about the Bulls and BMO’s Black-Owned Business initiative, please visit https://www.nba.com/bulls/community/black-owned-businesses.