To our Gracious Supporters and Allies, 

Today is the day we get to close off our petition; at 2:00 PM we have not only received the great news that Andrew Petter has finally agreed to retire the SFU athletic team name but we can also say that a movement that was initiated three years ago to amplify Black and POC voices against this name, has reached success. We are beyond ecstatic and we want to personally thank each of you - you helped us get here and you’ve supported us heavily through this journey. The article issuing this change can be seen here! The report of the name change process can be seen here!

First, we would like to acknowledge the folks before us that brought about this call for change: Nathan Ross - Peak Writer (2016), Holly Andersen - SFU Professor (2017), Aliocha Perriard-Abdoh - SFU Student Athlete (2017), Mason Glover - SFU Student Athlete (2020). These are some of the people that assisted in this call to change over the recent years regarding the SFU team nickname. 

This was not an easy process but we understood that the first step into breaking apart an unintentional or intentional racist system within a durable institution or specifically a university was by applying a certain and specific amount of pressure. It is an honour to say that in your help, in your voice and your support, we have collectively been able to unite and create this type of pressure to initiate reconstruction. Furthermore, it is so important to specify that this is not the end-all to amplifying BIPOC athletes’ voices and needs; in-fact, issues like this can still be reshaped and shifted in different forms to reinforce these types of systems. So, for our last call of action, we encourage you to stand up and speak out against injustices to amplify BIPOC voices in all sectors of our institutions. Sign petitions - they make a difference (clearly), send out emails, contact governing bodies, start that conversation and do not stay silent. As Angela Davis would say "You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time." And that is exactly what we’ve done - we fearlessly believed. 

For the time being, SFU’s teams will play under “Simon Fraser University” until a new name has been announced; We know and hope our future team name is something we will be proud to represent. Until then, we send you encouragement and joy. Stay blessed and take care. 

Warm Regards,

Marie & Othniel 

SFU Athletics Statement: https://athletics.sfu.ca/sports/2020/8/12/athletics-team-name-change.aspx

President Petter's Statement: http://www.sfu.ca/pres/petterspeeches/2020/a-new-time-for-sfu-athletics.html

Name Change Report issued by Wiseblood: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/sfuca.sidearmsports.com/documents/2020/8/11/SFU_Athletics_and_Recreation_Engagement.pdf