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Jessica Nichols/Huskers.com

The Day 2 theme for the #NCAAInclusion campaign is I've Got Your Back.

Inclusive Excellence

Nebraska Athletics participates in #NCAAInclusion Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign

Lincoln, NE – The NCAA celebrated the third annual Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign in October 2020, partnering with the NCAA's Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees. Throughout the campaign that ran Tuesday October 27th through Thursday October 29th, Nebraska Athletics worked internally with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Minority Student-Athlete Collective, Nebraska Creative and Emerging Media, various student-athletes, and Nebraska Women's Soccer to compile content for the Diversity and Inclusion campaign. For Jeff DeVaughn Jr., postgraduate intern for inclusion, the opportunity to plan the campaign was a new way for him to see inclusion as an athletic professional. "It was valuable for me to see our student-athletes other identities they live with outside of their playing fields." The three themes for the campaign were My Story Matters, I've Got Your Back, and Together We Rise.
 
Day 1: My Story Matters:

 

 

 
On Day 1 of the campaign (Tuesday, Oct. 27), the focus was on student-athletes' stories and experiences that represent who they are as an individual. The purpose of this day is for students to showcase how they are more than just an athlete and to show that their stories can make a difference. We spotlighted Izzie Guerrero, Matthew Brown and Sam Phillips and asked them to write a letter to their younger self, giving them perspective and advice, while reflecting on their personal story for Day 1.
 
Day 2: I've Got Your Back
On Day 2 of the campaign (Wednesday, Oct. 28), the focus was on the power of teamwork and community in creating inclusive environments. On this day of the campaign, we encourage student-athletes to share how being a good teammate is crucial in fostering diversity and inclusion. For Day 2 of #NCAAInclusion Week, we asked @NebraskaSoccer about their weekly Sunday team sessions. These student-athletes shared how they foster an inclusive team environment, and how that has driven the team to have each other's backs on and off the field.


Day 3: Together We Rise
On Day 3 of the campaign (Thursday, Oct. 29), the final day highlights the importance of community and action in driving diversity and inclusion efforts. To cap off #NCAAInclusion week, Athletic Director Bill Moos sat down with our Minority Student-Athlete Collective group to discuss social justice and the value of inclusion.


 
Utilizing multiple social media platforms allowed the Huskers' message to reach a broader audience.  Baker shared, "Our Life Skills and Diversity and Inclusion team did a fantastic job at recruiting athletes to participate, while Nick Burkhardt and our Digital and Emerging Media team did a great job with graphics and videos. The Diversity and Inclusion efforts here at Nebraska help to make us a national leader in the student-athlete experience, and we wanted to showcase the value we place on an inclusive culture."