Meridian elevates cultural diplomacy; African embassies honor independence

['Angelique Gingras', "Angelique Gingras Is An Associate Editor At The Washington Diplomat. She Is Currently Based In London Where She Is A Postgraduate Student In International Journalism At City St. George'S", 'University Of London. She Joined The Washington Diplomat In August As An Intern.', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Washington Diplomat 2025-07-10 15:49:01

Meridian’s Culturefix blends creativity and diplomacyDiplomats and the creative industries collided in Washington last month for Meridian International Center’s fifth edition of its signature cultural diplomacy event, Culturefix. The evening concluded with the Culturefix Gala, honoring leaders who advance cultural diplomacy on the world stage. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell received the 2025 Meridian Global Leadership Award for his efforts in expanding the NFL’s international reach. Anna Deavere Smith, Sanford Biggers and Mark D. Sikes were named 2025 Meridian Cultural Diplomacy Honorees. This year’s event also marked the renaming of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy to the Meridian Center for Sports and Cultural Diplomacy, aimed to integrate culture and sports into US foreign policy collaboratively.