"Over the past several months, there have been a series of hate crimes perpetrated against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Members of these communities have suffered numerous verbal, physical, and sometimes deadly assaults. We, the DHS Track & Field family, soundly reject the hate directed at these groups. We stand with the AAPI community, embracing the strength and resilience that comes with a more diverse society. Our Track & Field family is proud to include and support members from multiple AAPI ethnicities. We stand against AAPI Hate and instead choose love and support. #StopAAPIHate" - Patrick Kleinow, Cross Country/Track & Field Assistant Coach
"On February 23, 2020, a young man was fatally shot and killed while running. The young man was harassed and eventually shot and killed simply because he was a black man going for a jog. That was all it took for these men, both of whom were white, to assume that he was suspicious and needed to be detained. Running is more than just a sport. We, as your coaches, hope that you continue to love and use this sport beyond your time on the team. Even if you do not run in college, you will always have running as a way to stay in shape, let off some steam, and focus your mind. That is what makes running so beautiful. All you need are some shoes and the determination to get out there and run. But this young man, Ahmaud Arbery, had his right to run stripped from him simply because he was black. When an attack is made on a person's right to run, it is an attack on all of our rights. When a black man is shot and killed simply because he is black, it is an attack on all of us. We created this shirt to remember Ahmaud Arbery and to remind each other, and everyone who sees us, that no one is allowed to judge us and take away our rights, no one is allowed to say who can and cannot go for a run , no one is allowed to judge us just because of our skin color. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and we #RunWithMaud." - Patrick Kleinow, Cross Country/Track & Field Assistant Coach