'A party wrapped around a basketball game': K-W Titans celebrate Black History Month Sunday

The K-W Titans basketball team is kicking off Black History Month with a celebration during their game Sunday against the Lake Erie Jackals.

The Titans have partnered with Kitchener festival Caribana Ignite for a third year to celebrate Black history and cultural expression before and during their game at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

Kate Schooley, chief communications officer for the team, says the event is important to put the experience of players, coaches and staff members “front and centre.”

“This is just really an opportunity where we can take some time to recognize the heritage of many of our players and coaches and just show them that we value who they are as individuals, and also just represent that to the community,” Schooley said.

The celebrations go beyond the team, with pre-game programming set to begin at 2:00 p.m., an hour before the Titans take on the Jackals.

Geraldine Stafford, the festival director of Caribana Ignite, says the main audience is the community.  

“This Titans team is for the community and the young people who get to go to the game. They're so excited to see the players, community leaders come out,” Stafford said.

The programming is all about representation, and Stafford says young people will “see themselves in so many elements of the game.”

That includes the halftime show, a free throw contest, an addition of the Black National Anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing and information about Black History Month on the screens in the arena. 

With Waterloo region being so diverse, Stafford says being Black isn’t just one identity. She says there are people from the Caribbean, people of African descent and people who aren’t native from Africa but identify as Black. 

“And you know, allies are