When the Chicago Bears unveiled their latest throwback uniform, worn during the 1936 season, during the “Bears100” celebration in June, there was a lot of excitement among the fans to see another piece of Bears history come alive in the present day.

However, a few months later, one writer made the discovery that those jerseys are actually a reminder of an ugly past in Bears and NFL history regarding racial segregation. Now, ahead of the uniform’s debut this weekend, the team is taking action and recognizing the racial injustice that took place starting more than 80 years ago.

The Chicago Bears Social Justice Committee, consisting of tight end Trey Burton, quarterback Chase Daniel, defensive end Akiem Hicks, linebacker Danny Trevathan, QB Mitchell Trubisky and owner/chairman George McCaskey, released a statement on Tuesday evening regarding the uniforms and how they are a reminder of the era in which African American players were not allowed to play in the NFL.

“This Sunday against the Vikings, our players will wear the 1936 classic jersey,” McCaskey said. “That was from a time when, unfortunately, African-Americans were not included on the Bears or other NFL rosters. Integration of the NFL and the Bears was too long in coming. But we’re proud that this year’s Bears will be the first African-Americans to wear this jersey.”

For our NFC North showdown this Sunday at Soldier Field we'll be wearing our classic jerseys for the first time since 1936. Here’s an important message from our players and Chairman, looking ahead to Sunday. pic.twitter.com/SPbraNMFvL — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 25, 2019

The statement comes almost a month after Jack Silverstein of The Windy City Gridiron revealed the uniforms were from the era in which only white players were allowed in the NFL, specifically from 1934 to 1946. The revelation was a sobering reminder that, like many other teams and organizations in the first half of the 20th century, the Bears played a role in racial segregation in America.

“As a founding franchise, our organization is glorious, but it’s not perfect,” Trevathan said.

The team almost decided to forgo the uniform, not wanting to celebrate an ugly era of Bears history.

“After much thought and a lot of meetings, we are proud to be the first African Americans to pull this jersey over our head and take the field to represent this storied franchise and this great city,” Trevathan continued.

The team believes wearing the uniforms will spread awareness and encourage inclusiveness. Following Sunday’s game, the team also announced it will auction off select jerseys, with proceeds benefiting local social justice organizations.

The history of the NFL, like most things in America, is not perfect. This portion of the Bears 100th anniversary is exciting for some, but also a harsh reminder that African Americans were once not welcome in what is now the country’s most popular sport.

The Bears could have easily swept this under the rug, moved forward with the game and the promotion, and acted like it never happened. It’s encouraging to see a team acknowledge its past errors and ensure social justice issues continue to be addressed.