Vancouver Canucks unveil first-ever Black History Month jersey

The Vancouver Canucks have unveiled their first-ever Black History Month jersey.

The kit is the latest in a series of community-focused warm-up jerseys worn on the ice before select regular season games.

The new jersey is, unsurprisingly, black and features the team’s orc logo leaping through ice embroidered in red, green and yellow.

The limited-edition kit is the work of Ghanaian-Canadian designer Jason Bempong, creative director of Vancouver-based clothing brand Sleepless Mindz.

According to the team, Bempong’s patch was inspired by Kente, a traditional Ghanaian textile made from hand-woven fabric, cotton and silk.

“West African textiles have been around for thousands of years, with Kente being popularized among Akan royalty of the Ashanti Empire in the 18th century,” the Canucks explained on Twitter on Friday.

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“In present-day Ghana, Kente is worn for special events such as weddings, graduations, etc.”

Each of the colors in the design has a special meaning. Black represents spiritual power and maturity; yellow represents royalty and prosperity; green is repugnant to renewal, growth and harvest; and red represents life force, passion and strength.[resentsrenewalgrowthandharvest;andtheredrepresentslifebloodpassionandstrength[resentsrenewalgrowthandharvest;andtheredrepresentslifebloodpassionandstrength

The jerseys will be worn during the warm-up for the Canucks’ Black History Month game on Thursday, Feb. 24 against the Calgary Flames.

Once worn, they will be available through an online auction at Vanbase.ca, with a portion of the proceeds going to the BC Black History Awareness Society.

Last month, the team unveiled striking red warm-up shirts for Lunar New Year and, in November, a bold yellow design for Diwali.

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