NORFOLK, Va., Sept. 16, 2022 – The MEAC will celebrate its inaugural campaign under the newly announced We Are MEAC diversity and inclusion initiative, Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month.
 
First declared as Hispanic Heritage Week by President Lyndon B. Johnson and expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, the MEAC plans to join the national celebration observed from Sept. 15 to Oct 15.
 
The conference leaned in and implemented a Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month Committee comprising of student-athletes from each member institution per recommendations from SAAC advisors, Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs), and university presidents and chancellors. Committee members had a hand in decision-making on the celebratory logo, social media posts, educational trivia and strategizing the environment for in-game promotional theme nights.
 
"I am grateful to be part of the Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month Committee because it's giving us the space to empower our voices and share who we are as a LatinX community”, committee member, Natalia Miranda Vega, a graduate student from Morgan State University said.  “It is always nice to go back to our roots and share them with others, especially when we are far away from home."
 
“We are especially excited to celebrate Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month”, MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills said. “For the first time, a campaign on this level will be primarily student-sourced. It’s a great opportunity for the conference to hear the voice of its student-athletes so their cultures are represented in a way that feels true to them.”
 
“I’m very excited to celebrate our roots throughout this month and share what the committee has prepared for everyone to enjoy”, said Coppin State senior, Ashley Roman.
 
Members of the MEAC Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Committee are:

The MEAC’s Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month efforts will be shared on digital media, campus-wide and community levels.
 
For more information on Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, please view this guide from the NCAA. The four-page Hispanic Heritage Month resource guide created by the NCAA is designed for those who want "to celebrate, center and champion" Hispanic/Latinx heritage but may not know where to begin. It outlines several ways to begin or bolster support for Hispanic/Latinx communities, such as exploring Hispanic/Latinx history and creating a platform for Hispanic/Latinx athletes and staff to be heard.
 

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 52^nd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2022-23 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically Black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.