Per GoBearcats:
The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics and its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will kick off Pow6rful Minds week by continuing its #BearcatsUnited messaging, a combined departmental effort to increase awareness of social justice and inequality issues.
#BearcatsUnited was established this past spring in light of a number of continued injustices towards people of color. The football team is wearing a #BearcatsUnited decal on the rear helmet bumper this season and other teams will wear patches on their uniforms as their seasons are implemented to show the combined unity of our Bearcats community.
Baseball student-athlete Nate Moore helped lead the charge to rename UC’s baseball stadium in June 2020. Moore and baseball Coach Scott Googins were featured on the Behind the Bearcats podcast recently to talk about how the name change push came together.
Following the renaming of the baseball stadium, SAAC made a formal statement which stated its goals for the 2020-21 year, including: establishing a mandatory day off for athletic-related activities on Voting Day, creating a Black Student-Athlete Association, supporting racial equality across campus, bringing awareness to gender discrimination, standing alongside the LGBTQ+ community, promoting local businesses across the University, implementing Bias Training and Educational Classes and celebrating Black History Month.
To date, SAAC has created the Bearcast Your Vote initiative, which has successfully assisted in getting nearly 100% of UC’s student-athletes registered to vote in their respective home states. The Black Student-Athlete Association was implemented in September and will be led by Arthur Greenlee IV from men’s track and field and Shannon Williams from volleyball, with coaches and staff members serving as advisors.
Additionally, many student-athletes and teams have used their social media platforms to share thoughts, ideas and feelings.
