NATIONWIDE — The Big East Conference announced Wednesday that their men's and women's basketball teams will wear "Black Lives Matter" patches on their jerseys for the 2020-21 season.

All 11 member schools of the conference unanimously approved the decision, the league said in a tweet.

The news comes on the heels of the conference's decision to postpone all fall sports due to concerns about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"The BIG EAST Conference has long been committed to using our platform to promote the values of tolerance, respect and equality on our campuses and in our communities," Big East commissioner Val Ackerman said in a statement, citing that throughout the conference's history, they have "championed the ideals of racial justice and promoted the imperative that all people be treated fairly in the eyes of the law and within the institutions that make up American life."

"For all of us in the extended BIG EAST family, 'Black Lives Matter' is not a politicalorganization or ideology, but a fact," Ackerman continued. "For us, BLM means that the safety, dignity and well‐being of all Black people are non‐negotiable rights and that intolerance and repression because of skin color cannot be tolerated in our world."

Following the announcement, the member schools of the Big East, as well as some of their personnel, issued statements applauding the decision.

Marquette men's basketball coach Steve Wojciechowski hailed the decision: "We've listened and learned, and understand all lives can't matter until Black Lives Matter. I will do everything within my power as the leader of our program to pursue positive change."

The Big East Conference also announced its support for the efforts of Coaches for Action, "a coalition of 21 ethnic minority BIG EAST men’s basketball assistant coaches formed to help raise awareness in the fight against racism," according to a statement from the league.