Coach Carly Thibault-Dudonis bounds into the locker room, her palpable joy fueling the skip in her step. She is greeted by a symphony of excitement, as the circular walls echo with the team’s deafening cheers. Thibault-Dudonis is showered by the sprays of water from her players’ matching blue bottles.
It is February 24, 2024. Fairfield University’s Women’s Basketball (WBB) Team has just won its twenty-second game in a row, securing the title of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Regular Season Champions.
In this monumental moment, Thibault-Dudonis dons a black T-shirt with a message of pride: “Love Wins.” On the back, the message “Be Who You Are” is accompanied by a multi-colored heart. The font displays vibrant rainbow stripes, a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community.
The shirts were created for the Pride Game, which coincided with the culmination of a season of hard work. The impact of this work spans far beyond their victories on the court. The team and staff are committed to fostering inclusivity and uplifting social justice initiatives. In recognition of their efforts, the program will be rewarded with the 2025 Lucy Katz Award.
The award is presented by the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program. A ceremony, which is free and open to all, will take place tonight in the Kelley Center, Oct. 29 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Annually, the WGSS Program recognizes “a woman on campus who has made extraordinary contributions to women’s issues.” The award originated as The Person of the Year Award in 1994. It was founded by Johanna Garvey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, and Lucy Katz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, for whom the award was renamed in 2007.
Katz, a former professor of business law was one of the co-coordinators of the Women’s Studies Program and served as chair of the Department of Management in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. She passed away after a long illness in 2013.
Elizabeth Hohl, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of History, offered reflections to encapsulate Katz’s enduring influence. She shared the statement she presented when the award was renamed 11 years ago.
“To us and to our program, she was a path-breaker,” Hohl underscored.
She continued, “She had a ready smile and a great gift for encouragement… She pushed women to go into arenas where they had been previously locked out.”
Today, the WBB Program embodies Katz’s legacy.
On that memorable February afternoon, now-graduate guard Janelle Brown hoisted the massive MAAC trophy in the air. As fans rose to their feet, the coaching staff swarmed the team at center court in matching attire to Thibault-Dudonis.
“Love Wins.”
The sea of shirts backdropped Brown as the cameras flashed around her.
The presence of the rainbow text at this moment, a moment supersized on the jumbotron and immortalized on social media, is symbolic of the program’s power.
Within the simplicity of a graphic tee lies great depth. By wearing these shirts, the WBB Program increased representation for the LGBTQ+ community and exposed fans to a message that emphasizes the importance of equality.
The WBB Program has bridged the gap between athletics and activism. They have not only advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, but use their platform to amplify a diversity of underrepresented voices.
The WBB Program utilized its Instagram account (@fairfieldwbb) to celebrate Black History Month.
In one video, WBB athletes completed the sentence: “Black is…”. The team supplied a range of adjectives, including “resilient,” “brave” and “powerful.”
In another video, Thibault-Dudonis reiterated the role that student-athletes play as leaders in the Fairfield community.
“One of the things I love about sport is that we have the ability to empower, connect and positively impact so far beyond the lines of the court,” she declared, speaking from a seat within the Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
“As a team, we celebrate the strength in our diversity and ability to learn from each other’s experiences… I love being able to empower our Black student-athletes to use their voices,” Thibault-Dudonis said.
The posts, sandwiched between highlight reels and winning streak updates, also included digital fliers honoring famous Black changemakers and on-campus leaders.
Shannon Kelley, Ph. D., Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Associate Professor in the English Department at Fairfield University, is part of the coordinating committee of eight faculty members who handpick the award’s recipient. She cited the program’s strategic use of social media as a deciding factor in their selection.
“These are fantastic athletes who are very competitive but they also have a much wider reach that we felt others didn’t know enough about,” Kelley described. “Their social media is very unique among all of the different athletic programs.”
Specifically, she noted their continuous efforts to highlight female athletes during Women’s History Month, which occurs in March.
“Every time I looked at their page, I thought ‘Wow, they just keep going and going,’” Kelley remarked. “It’s just a really strong statement to have posted online.”
Kelley also recalled the large attendance of the WBB Program at the Black Stags Matter Walk in April. The walk is part of FUSA’s Celebration of Unity Series, an initiative intended to demonstrate support for marginalized voices on campus.
Hohl joins Kelley on the WGSS Coordinating Committee and echoed her sentiments, reinforcing the necessity of honoring the program.
“This is really an opportunity for us to ask the community to pause and look at them,” she illustrated. “Not just as an outstanding set of athletes, but as people who are extraordinarily socially conscious and social justice-oriented.”
Melissa Quan, Director of the Center for Social Impact and 2016 Lucy Katz Award Recipient, is a featured speaker at the ceremony. She believes that “we need to continue paying attention” to female voices at Fairfield.
“I don’t think we, as a community, show up for our women athletes as much as we show up for our male teams,” Quan elaborated. “As a basketball fan, I have seen this changing, particularly as our women’s team has excelled these past few years. But, they are also stepping up and leading in many ways across campus and, if you listen, they are asking us to show up for them.”
Their home opener is just two weeks away, with a match against Richmond scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 12. As the team anticipates the upcoming season, Thibault-Dudonis has revealed plans to build upon their platform to raise awareness of social justice initiatives.
“We’re definitely a visible group,” she observed. “We’ve had a national spotlight on television and social media. So, I always want our women to be authentically them.”
By reinstating themed games and digital campaigns, the program will continue to uplift Lucy Katz’s memory as a “beacon of hope” at Fairfield University.
“I’m really proud of our team and how they show up for our community,” Thibault-Dudonis concluded.
“It’s something our program takes seriously, to be a space and a group of people where all are welcome. I love that our team has embraced standing for that and has been seen for the strength of our diversity.”
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