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Garden City, NY - The Adelphi University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics hosted its 13th annual Black History Month Celebration, presented by TD Bank, on Thursday, Feb. 20, honoring the achievements of African-American student-athletes and alumni. Over 80 people gathered in the Campbell Lounge in the Center for Recreation and Sport to celebrate and listen to keynote speaker, Chris Bernard '99, who is an Adelphi Athletics Hall of Famer and Vice President of Player Development, Marketing and Team Operations for the New York Knicks.
"On behalf of Adelphi Athletics I'd like to thank Chris Bernard '99 for sharing his experiences with our student- athletes," said
Danny McCabe, Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation. "The evening proved to be a great learning experience for everyone as his message was universal. This dinner would also not be possible without the support from our friends at TD Bank. They continue to show their commitment to the Adelphi community and we are extremely grateful."
Master of Ceremonies Kevin Dexter kicked off the evening, and a warm welcomes were given by McCabe, and TD Bank Vice President for U.S. Field Marketing. Following, Kip Jackson and Ena Otaka were present the Cecil K. Watkins award, which is given annually to a male and female student-athlete of color who excels in the classroom and on the playing field. Tthe award is named after Adelphi University alumnus and Hall of Famer Cecil K. Watkins.
"The three things I want to touch on are hard work, aka working hard, likeability, and being effective," said Bernard to begin his discussion. He later went on to state how those three traits helped him grow as student-athlete at Adelphi to his position now with the Knicks.
The Black History Month Celebration was founded in 2002 by former Assistant Athletic Director Suzette McQueen and has been held annually during the month of February since its inception and is presented by TD Bank.
