STATEMENT:

Dear Colleagues,

 

When we started Team Black in 2015, we wanted to represent ourselves as the epitome of strength. We researched the toughest animal in the wild, and found that the true King of the Jungle is the Silverback gorilla. Perhaps for this same reason, Hollywood chose this animal for King Kong - deemed as almost untamable and indomitable in its characterization.

 

However, a question was posed to us during the last race. Someone asked team members why we called ourselves Team Black, represented by a gorilla. This brought us a great pause. One colleague pointed out the painful reference this term was used in the history of our nation, to refer to people of color, particularly African American. While it was never our intent to align such a despicable and painful past to our brand, we never want there to be any confusion that this was what was meant by our mascot. Therefore, in order to completely quash any innuendo, idea, or potential misunderstanding, we decided to rebrand, and stay with our original motto, “Always bet on black,” represented by a Vegas Roulette table. 

 

We do this out of respect for all our colleagues, especially those whose own familial history may be potentially pained or tainted by this depiction.