At a time when DEI programs built to promote inclusivity have experienced government-issued shutdowns, it makes the Honoring Black Excellence campaign by adidas feel all the more important. With The Three Stripes in a financial situation that doesn’t require federal funding for a program like HBE, the sportswear stalwart is simply committing to a $20 million promise made back in 2020 in support of Black communities. Five years later, we can attest to the fact that adidas is definitely putting money to mouth. Many mouths, in fact.
On Tuesday (June 24), we braved the Atlanta heat for a special one-night-only event known as the HBE Capstone Experience, curated in collaboration with Paper Monday creative married duo Rog & Bee Walker. This year’s honorees include Sekou Thornell of Kitboys Club, Jaycina Almond who we remember from The Tender Foundation and the soulfully Southern belles of Gee’s Bend Quilters.
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Utilizing a theme of “Pathways & Pipelines,” Rog & Bee helped create an atmosphere that visually reflected the idea of Black creativity as a bridge to history and beyond. Whether it’s the bridges of knowledge formed by quilt-making being passed down generation after generation, single mothers having bridges of access for support in any way needed or simply bridges of communication that develop when a friendship turns to family on the Kitboys-led soccer field, each honoree is creating both pathways and pipelines for success in our community.
Speaking with Sekou, he told us, “I had a unique experience where I got to play at an all-Black youth club in Stone Mountain, so from there you sort of form your relationship with a lot of people that maintain over a long time. I fell in love with it, my parents kept [soccer] with me and a lot of opportunities I got in life came out of the game.” He went on to add of the city’s ever-thriving cultural diversity, “You would think for a Southern city that [Atlanta] wouldn’t be so progressive in a game like soccer — most people think it’s football or baseball dominant. There’s always been that love for the game in those pockets of culture [throughout ATL], and because the city is shaped the way it is we found it easy getting people into the fold of it. I dedicate it all to this city and having the right ingredients to really have a platform like [Kitboys Club] grow.”
Throughout the night, he made sure to always feel accessible to the many high school teenagers in the building who were given special access to the private event as a way to get inspired.
“You would think for a Southern city that [Atlanta] wouldn’t be so progressive in a game like soccer — most people think it’s football or baseball dominant. There’s always been that love for the game in those pockets of culture [throughout ATL], and because the city is shaped the way it is we found it easy getting people into the fold of it. I dedicate it all to this city and having the right ingredients to really have a platform like [Kitboys Club] grow.”
— Sekou Thornell, Kitboys Club
Similar sentiments were shared as we spoke with the ladies of Gee’s Bend Quilters. Sitting together and representing all ages and shades of Black beauty, it was understood from jump that we were in the presence of a bonded sisterhood. “I encourage [my granddaughter] by telling her how to sew and stuff, just different quilts and stuff, so she can teach her children when she have kids and it keeps going,” said Sharon Williams, who enthusiastically went on to describe their ever-growing legacy by busting out into song with the tune “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead. Hearing from a younger voice on the team, twenty-something sew pro Francesca Charley told us, “Everything I learned from quilting came from my grandma, great-aunt and my mother. It’s because of their words of encouragement that I am where I am today. There were so many times where I wanted to give up or I thought what I was doing wasn’t good enough, or I simply could never make what they make, but to be here now with adidas is a lot to think about.”
Her mom, Claudia Pettway Charley, followed suit with beautiful insight by adding, “Honoring Black Excellence is to honor your own legacy. Your honoring others who present excellence, but it really doesn’t matter what the category or field is. It could just be that you live your life on a daily basis in your own excellence, especially if you’re Black. It’s a privilege just to be here being honored by a company such as adidas. Even being recognized by Rog & Bee, who take your stories and turn them into movies right in front of your face, is all the definition of excellence and honor. Doing it in ways that only Black people can feels exciting to me.”
“Honoring Black Excellence is to honor your own legacy. Your honoring others who present excellence, but it really doesn’t matter what the category or field is. It could just be that you live your life on a daily basis in your own excellence, especially if you’re Black. It’s a privilege just to be here being honored by a company such as adidas. Even being recognized by Rog & Bee, who take your stories and turn them into movies right in front of your face, is all the definition of excellence and honor. Doing it in ways that only Black people can feels exciting to me.”
— Claudia Pettway Charley, Gee’s Bend Quilters
Good southern eats, drinks aplenty for those old enough to indulge responsibly, a live jazz performance that fit the mood of the party perfectly and studio-style portrait sessions being snapped by Rog & Bee themselves all came together to cap off a night we won’t soon forget. When it comes to honoring our heritage and literally everything that make it so beautiful to be Black, we give props to The Three Stripes for pulling off a night worth coming outside on during one of the most humid days in Hotlanta!
Take a look below at a full photo recap of the adidas 2025 Honoring Black Excellence “HBE Capstone Experience” in ATL:
