WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The Washington Capitals are celebrating Black History Month with a fresh look.
On Feb. 5, the team unveiled the design for its Black History Month specialty jerseys during a discussion panel with Howard University. The jersey, designed by The Museum DC, spotlights the African-American history within the hockey team and throughout the District.
“Our design reflects our identity as HBCU graduates, incorporating the prestigious kente cloth print alongside our Museum’s traditional colors – honoring the original Metro train lines. This jersey is a celebration of heritage, culture, and community, and we look forward to building a lasting and impactful relationship with the Capitals organization,” said Nyrik Lee Sr, The Museum DC’s Chief Branding Officer.
The red, yellow and green stars on the front of the jerseys represent unity and give tribute to the Pan-African flag. The hockey stick, the letter T, is decorated in the color kente pattern, which symbolizes royalty.
On the right shoulder patch, the logo of The Museum DC adds the coloring of the kente print which is also infused with the original colors of the WMATA train lines.
The back of the jersey also features the kente print. The historic print was worn by African royalty as a sign of wealth and authority. It is also recognized as a traditional print on scarves and can also be found on the tassels of HBCU graduates.
The kente print was also spotted on basketball uniforms of Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University in the 1990s. This is when the team was coached by the late legendary John Thompson Jr.
The basketball Hall of Famer is known for building the basketball program at Georgetown University. He was also named “Coach of the Year” seven times, and he was the 1988 Olympic Head Coach in Men’s Basketball for the USA.
The newly designed jersey will be signed by the Capitals players and will be auctioned off in a Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation auction. The proceeds will go toward the Capital Impact Fund.
