The Chicago Bears will be rocking the 1936 throwback uniforms on Christmas Eve.
Players took the alternate helmets for a spin at Wednesday's practice at Halas Hall. The team also made an official announcement on social media with a video showing a staff member adding orange stripes to the Bears' signature navy helmets.
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Introduced in 2019 to commemorate the organization's 100th season, the 1936 throwback uniforms now serve as a symbol of an ugly period in NFL history of racial segregation.
A few months after the uniform was unveiled, Chicago sports historian Jack Silverstein wrote an article for SB Nation examining the league's 12-year ban on black players from 1934 through 1945. The piece, which acknowledged George Halas's role in the unspoken segregation of the league, garnered widespread attention and discourse.
In response, Chairman George McCaskey along with the team's social justice committee — comprised of Trey Burton, Chase Daniel, Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan and Mitchell Trubisky — released a video statement to address the revelation.
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"That was from a time when, unfortunately, African Americans were not included on the Bears or other NFL rosters," said McCaskey. "Integration of the Bears and the NFL was too long in coming. But we're proud that this year's Bears will be the first African-Americans to wear these jerseys."
The players reflected on how these painful lessons of the past can shape a better future for the league and the community. They determined that going forward, the uniforms would represent the organization's acknowledgment of racial injustice and its commitment to growth and inclusion.
"The importance of wearing this jersey goes way beyond this moment," Hicks says in the video. "Wearing this jersey is a sign, a symbol for the people who came before us that weren't allowed to wear this jersey. And now on our shoulders is the opportunity to represent not only our culture but our city and our team by wearing this jersey and being the first African Americans to do so."
"After much thought and a lot of meetings, we are proud to be the first African Americans to pull this jersey over our head and take the field to represent this storied franchise and this great city," Burton said.
The 5-9 Bears will look to honor that message on Sunday when they take on the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field.