June 18, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -
"Fly Like the Byrd", a documentary produced by three Northwestern University students regarding the life and death of former Wildcat head men's basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong is now available for viewing online.
To view the documentary, please click here.
Byrdsong was tragically killed in a hate crime in his suburban Chicago neighborhood on July 2, 1999. Medill students Ryan Dietz, Tommy Giglio and Alex Presha produced the project as an independent study and it debuted on the Northwestern campus last week. The documentary examines race relations and how Byrdsong's legacy has lived on.
In addition, the 10th-annual Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate is being held Saturday, June 28 at Long Field (corner of Lincoln Street and Sheridan Road) in Evanston. The event consists of a 5K walk, 5K and 10K runs and a youth mile. The day's festivities get underway at 7:45 p.m. and also include refreshments, live music and much more.
Pre-registration is $25 for the 10K run and 5K run/walk and $10 for the youth mile. Participants may register both online and in-person for the event. Race day registration is $35 for the run/walk and $15 for the youth mile.
Proceeds from the Race benefit the work of the YWCA Evanston/North Shore, especially in areas of violence prevention and racial equity.
For much more information on the event, to register online or to volunteer, please visit the YWCA Evanston/North Shore website.