Nugent and Thomas Are 2022 ACC Unite Award Winners
10/20/2022 1:17:00 PM | General
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Syracuse cross country/track and field student-athlete Emily Nugent and former Orange men's basketball standout Dedrick Etan Thomas are the recipients of the second annual 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference UNITE Award, which was created to honor individuals affiliated with the league who have made an impact in the areas of racial and social justice. The UNITE Award is an initiative of the ACC's Committee for Racial and Social Justice (CORE - Champions of Racial Equity) and was developed and approved by its 15 member institutions.
The UNITE Award is presented annually to individuals who:
"We are proud to honor the ACC UNITE Award winners who have made significant contributions in the areas of racial and social justice," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "These 30 individuals are true pioneers who inspire us with their contributions to a more diverse and equal society. As a conference we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of racial and social justice, while assisting our student-athletes and institutions with programs that can affect change."
Syracuse
A junior at Syracuse, Nugent is the co-president of the Orange Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and is a member of Syracuse Athletics' Diversity and Inclusion Student-Athlete Board (DISAB). She has advocated for urban kids during the last few years by helping to lead the #44HoursofChange fundraising initiative, which benefit Blessings in a Backpack, an organization that mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. The funds raised through the #44HoursofChange initiative directly benefit young students in the city of Syracuse, ensuring that they go home on Fridays with a backpack full of satisfying and nutritional food.
Thomas is a Syracuse University alumnus and former collegiate basketball player who played for the Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. He is a published author, poet, freelance writer, activist, and motivational speaker, as well as a co-host for the 'Centers of Attention,' a sports talk show on ESPN Radio Syracuse in Syracuse, New York. He also blogs for The Huffington Post and runs a podcast for Basketball news. On August 16, 2008, Thomas appeared with Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean at stops in northern Virginia as part of the Democratic National Committee's "Register for Change" bus tour to encourage local voter registration drives. Thomas gave speeches at two stops in Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria. In January 2010, Thomas donated $30,000 to the Haiti relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
In his efforts, Thomas has advocated for student-athletes, fatherhood, and against police brutality. In his book, We Matter: Athletes and Activism, Thomas interviews a number of NBA and professional athlete staples ,including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laila Ali, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade, sharing encouragement and positive messages. Thomas continues the advocacy conversation efforts by holding Town Hall panels throughout the country at prisons, churches, Universities, schools, and various conventions where he inspires, motivates, and supports generations of people.
2022 UNITE Award Recipients
Boston College: M. Quentin Williams & Dr. Constance Smith Hendricks
Clemson: Wayne Jenkins & Barbara Kennedy-Dixon (posthumously)
Duke: Michael Howard & Gracie Johnson
Florida State: Leonard Hamilton & Morgan M. Jones
Georgia Tech: Lucius Sanford & Lynn Houston-Moore
Louisville: Jim Freeman & Valerie (Owens) Combs
Miami: Corey Jones & Lauryn Harris
North Carolina: Charles Scott & Kathy Crawford
NC State: Dr. Marcus Martin & Charece Williams Gee
Notre Dame: Cason Wilburn & Niele Ivey
Pitt: Dr. Bettina Love & Herb Douglas
Syracuse: Emily Nugent & Dedrick Etan Thomas
Virginia: Marques Hagans & Hailey Barnett
Virginia Tech: André Davis & Reyna Gilbert-Lowry
Wake Forest: Jim Caldwell & Charlene Curtis (posthumously)
ACC SiriusXM will devote a portion of their morning show to the 2022 UNITE Award recipients with hosts Chris Spatola and Dalen Cuff on Thursday, October 21 at 10 a.m.
The UNITE Award is presented annually to individuals who:
- Best exemplify ACC CORE's mission to promote and encourage racial equity and social justice through education, partnerships, engagement and advocacy
- Have helped create meaningful, lasting change by improving systems, organizational structures, policies, practices and attitudes
- Have been a pioneer and/or helped pave the way for minorities either at the institution or in the community
- Each school selects its two recipients based on the above criteria and can choose to celebrate their selections at campus events throughout the academic year.
"We are proud to honor the ACC UNITE Award winners who have made significant contributions in the areas of racial and social justice," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "These 30 individuals are true pioneers who inspire us with their contributions to a more diverse and equal society. As a conference we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of racial and social justice, while assisting our student-athletes and institutions with programs that can affect change."
Syracuse
A junior at Syracuse, Nugent is the co-president of the Orange Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and is a member of Syracuse Athletics' Diversity and Inclusion Student-Athlete Board (DISAB). She has advocated for urban kids during the last few years by helping to lead the #44HoursofChange fundraising initiative, which benefit Blessings in a Backpack, an organization that mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. The funds raised through the #44HoursofChange initiative directly benefit young students in the city of Syracuse, ensuring that they go home on Fridays with a backpack full of satisfying and nutritional food.
Thomas is a Syracuse University alumnus and former collegiate basketball player who played for the Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. He is a published author, poet, freelance writer, activist, and motivational speaker, as well as a co-host for the 'Centers of Attention,' a sports talk show on ESPN Radio Syracuse in Syracuse, New York. He also blogs for The Huffington Post and runs a podcast for Basketball news. On August 16, 2008, Thomas appeared with Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean at stops in northern Virginia as part of the Democratic National Committee's "Register for Change" bus tour to encourage local voter registration drives. Thomas gave speeches at two stops in Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria. In January 2010, Thomas donated $30,000 to the Haiti relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
In his efforts, Thomas has advocated for student-athletes, fatherhood, and against police brutality. In his book, We Matter: Athletes and Activism, Thomas interviews a number of NBA and professional athlete staples ,including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laila Ali, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade, sharing encouragement and positive messages. Thomas continues the advocacy conversation efforts by holding Town Hall panels throughout the country at prisons, churches, Universities, schools, and various conventions where he inspires, motivates, and supports generations of people.
2022 UNITE Award Recipients
Boston College: M. Quentin Williams & Dr. Constance Smith Hendricks
Clemson: Wayne Jenkins & Barbara Kennedy-Dixon (posthumously)
Duke: Michael Howard & Gracie Johnson
Florida State: Leonard Hamilton & Morgan M. Jones
Georgia Tech: Lucius Sanford & Lynn Houston-Moore
Louisville: Jim Freeman & Valerie (Owens) Combs
Miami: Corey Jones & Lauryn Harris
North Carolina: Charles Scott & Kathy Crawford
NC State: Dr. Marcus Martin & Charece Williams Gee
Notre Dame: Cason Wilburn & Niele Ivey
Pitt: Dr. Bettina Love & Herb Douglas
Syracuse: Emily Nugent & Dedrick Etan Thomas
Virginia: Marques Hagans & Hailey Barnett
Virginia Tech: André Davis & Reyna Gilbert-Lowry
Wake Forest: Jim Caldwell & Charlene Curtis (posthumously)
ACC SiriusXM will devote a portion of their morning show to the 2022 UNITE Award recipients with hosts Chris Spatola and Dalen Cuff on Thursday, October 21 at 10 a.m.
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