As HBCU homecoming starts at around 107 campuses, Norfolk State University Athletics is using this moment to spotlight something greater than the football game. This year, as Michael Vick enters his second homecoming as the head coach of Norfolk State University football, he is bringing awareness to a greater cause:cancer awareness, in partnership with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
The partnership is set to bring awareness to a cause that many people currently deal with, and this isn’t just a one-day mission. During the full week of homecoming events, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund will be in attendance, curating activities to engage students, alumni, athletes, and the broader Hampton Roads community through education, survivor recognition, and several special activations.
Continuing to spread awareness, and with Coach Vick serving as the impromptu ambassador for the week of awareness, he shared the importance of partnering on this cause.
Coach Vick shared in an interview on the cause:
“It’s always celebrated in the National Football League; the month of October was dedicated to breast cancer awareness prevention, early screenings, and things like that. And I got family members- my mom, my sisters, you know, my daughters. I want them to take this seriously and always stay a step ahead. And that’s why I get involved, because it means a lot, you know, to not only spread the word myself, but to get the word out to the masses.”
Coach Vick also shared his mindset going into his second homecoming with Norfolk State exclusively with Historically Black Since:
“We get to have homecoming, celebrate, and go out and try to win a football game, you know, and doing our part is very important. You know, we got a bye week next week, and I believe we can get a win going into the bye.” Vick continued, “This week is very important. It’s important we have a great week of practice. In terms of just understanding, getting better, figuring out what we lack, what we’re good at, what we’re not so good at, attacking that, and then get ready for conference play.”
The Chief Executive Officer behind the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, Jenny Palmateer, also shared what other HBCUs can do to help move the cause forward and the importance of this latest partnership with Coach Vick and Norfolk State Athletics.
Jenny Palmateer shared exclusively with Historically Black Since:
“I think beyond homecoming, you know, what HBCUs could do is continue to have conversations; there are cancer facts and myths. Some people don’t go get mammograms because they think that the technology causes cancer. Not true, so I think part of it is having just normal conversations around the dinner table, or at a church or a community center, where it’s not so in your face and sounding so dire. It just becomes a matter of fact that, of course, we have to take care of ourselves, and it’s okay, and it normalizes it.”
With Coach Vick having a complete 180 season compared to his first year coaching the Spartans, the team most recently secured a win against Hampton University in the Battle of the Bay and currently holds a 3-3 record heading into this year’s homecoming game. With cancer awareness also taking center stage, Norfolk State’s homecoming matchup against Virginia University of Lynchburg is shaping up to be a true HBCU story of awareness and the practice of never giving up.
