Journalism and Mass Communication education

Attracts professionals of distinction

Who tower like celebrated teachers

Excelling as eminent preachers

Glittering in that galaxy

Inspiring as fame’s fantasy

Shines Dr. Sharon Stringer

Who magnetizes as phone ringer

Tall and majestic in bearing

Like stars who are endearing

Her noble demeanor and charisma

Charms like Paradise’s aroma

Careful, responsible and thoughtful

Like achievers who are dutiful

Scharon displays excellence

Like genius of affluence

Admired and respected professor

She is thorough as an assessor

Faithfully famous for fairness

Like architects of evenhandedness

Kind, considerate and generous

She supports many as the illustrious

Exuding love and kindness

Like marvelous angels of goodness

Revered family anchor and rock

She motivates as progress clock

Always assisting with optimism

Like victors who crush pessimism

Reputed lady of character and cheerfulness

Scharon fosters happiness

Respected educator, facilitator and mentor

Admired leader, coach and ace communicator

THE LIONEL C. BARROW JR. AWARD FOR Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education

Nominations are now being sought for The Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education. This award, jointly supported by the Minorities and Communication (MAC) Division and the Commission on the Status of Minorities (CSM) recognizes outstanding individual accomplishment and leadership in diversity efforts for underrepresented groups by race and ethnicity, in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The late Dr. Lionel (Lee) C. Barrow, Jr., was a long-time AEJMC member who provided key leadership and guidance to the association during his many years of service.  As a member of AEJMC, Lee pioneered and founded in 1968 the Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Education, in an effort to recruit, train and place minorities in communications. In 1970, he founded and became the acting head of the Minorities and Communication Division.  The Communication Theory and Methodology Division renamed its diversity scholarship after Lee in 1997, the same year he received the AEJMC Presidential Award for his contributions. In 2005, he was recognized with one of AEJMC’s highest honors, the Distinguished Service Award, for his outstanding service in promoting diversity within the association and the discipline.

Nominees should be senior scholars but do not have to be AEJMC members at the time of their application, and self nominations are welcome.  A monetary award accompanies this prize, and the winner will receive a complimentary, one-year basic membership to AEJMC.  The Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award will be presented during the AEJMC Business Meeting by the chairs of the two sponsoring groups.

CRITERIA

Nominees will be judged by their outstanding contributions in one of the three following areas:

(1) a sustained record over time of publication on racial and ethnic minorities in journalism and mass communication; and/or

(2) a sustained record over time of contribution to teaching and service of racial and ethnic minorities in journalism and mass communication; and/or

(3) the publication of a impactful book on racial and ethnic minorities in journalism and mass communication.

HOW TO APPLY

Nomination packets should contain:

• a letter from an AEJMC member on letterhead describing in detail the candidate’s contributions to diversity, and one additional letter of support from a colleague (on or off campus) who is also an AEJMC member.  All nominees, including those who are self-nominated, will provide a total of two (2) letters.
• The nominee’s personal statement (250 words).
• Additional materials might include (but are not limited to) abstracts of research findings, professional papers and published articles (no more than five total), text of a speech delivered or prepared for delivery, course outlines, innovative teaching tools, teaching evaluations and citations or other recognition pertaining to the nominee.
• The nomination packet should be no longer than 10 pages.  Applications that exceed this length will be disqualified.

DEADLINES:
Entries should be received by February 1, 2010, in hard copy and mailed to: AEJMC, 234 Outlet Pointe Boulevard, Suite A, Columbia, SC 29210-5667.  The awardee will be announced on April 1 and will be recognized in the 2010 AEJMC Convention Program.

Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award Advisory Committee

Linda Callahan, North Carolina A&T State University (Chair CSM); Jennifer Woodard,  Middle Tennessee State University (Chair MAC); Paula Poindexter, University of Texas – Austin; George Daniels, University of Alabama; Ilia Rodriguez, University of New Mexico; Meta Carstarphen, University of Oklahoma; Carolyn Stroman, Howard University; and Curtis Lawrence, Columbia College – Chicago

Head

Sharon B. Stringer

Lock Haven University

E-mail: sstringe@lhup.edu

Telephone: (570) 484-2092

FAX: (570) 484-2436

Vice-Head, Programming Chair

Jennifer Woodard

Middle Tennessee State University

E-mail: jwoodard@mtsu.edu

Telephone: (615) 898-2766

Second Vice Head/Secretary

Ilia Rodriguez

The University of New Mexico

E-mail: ilia@unm.edu

Telephone: (505) 771-8094

Second Vice-Head Elect

Petra Guerra

University of Texas-Pan American

E-mail: cielito@utpa.edu

Telephone: (956) 318-5330

Faculty Research Chair

Brenda Edgerton-Webster

Mississippi State University

E-mail: bew95@msstate.edu

Telephone: (662) 325-5808 (office)

(662) 617-4375 (mobile)*

Student Research Chair

Yuki Fujioka

Georgia State University

E-mail: jouykf@langate.gsu.edu

Telephone: 

PF&R Chair

Alex Ortiz

Texas Tech University

E-mail: alex.ortiz@ttu.edu

Telephone: (806) 742-6500 Ext. 252

Teaching Standards Chair

Jerry Domatob

Alcorn State University

E-mail: jdomatob@yahoo.com

Telephone: ?????

Coordinators of Mid-Winter Conference

Bradley W. Gorham

Syracuse University

E-mail: bwgorham@syr.edu

Telephone: (315) 443-1950

&

Frances Ward-Johnson

Elon University

E-mail: fward2@elon.edu

Telephone: (336) 278-5738 (office)

(336) 580-1521 (mobile)

Webmaster/Newsletter Editor

James Kiwanuka-Tondo

North Carolina State University

E-mail: jktondo@social.chass.ncsu.edu

Telephone: (919) 515-9736

Change is in the air. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States, is not the only person highlighting the urgency for change. Dr. Francis Ward, a professor of journalism at Syracuse University, challenges the media to re-evaluate their responsibilities as journalists and their coverage of important news issues.”It’s time for accurate reporting of the Jeremiah Wright story and for news media to take the lead in promoting an honest and open dialogue about race,” he says.  In an opinion piece Ward provides insight as to why he is capable of criticizing the media and then pens his poignant thoughts on the media’s responsibility moving forward.

Francis Ward
Professor of Journalism
Syracuse University

A Challenge to the News Media

by Francis Ward

In 1985, I was an assistant press secretary in the Mayor’s Press Office in Chicago when the late Harold Washington was mayor. He had been elected in April 1983 as the first-ever black mayor of Chicago. During Washington’s first administration (1983 – 87), Chicago was drastically split along racial lines: blacks solidly (almost unanimously) supporting Washington and most, but not all, whites favoring the white majority in City Council that bitterly opposed everything Washington said and did. At the time, Chicago was truly “us and them,” blacks versus whites, with no moderate center. You were either on one side of the other.

          As part of the Washington administration, I strongly supported his goals of openness and reform in city government, but I also strongly believed Harold was open to some criticism.  He spent too much time out of the office, making public appearances, reveling in the celebrity of being the first black mayor, while he should have spent much more time shoring up his political base and running city government. Washington delegated too much authority to his chief of staff, the late Bill Ware, a political moderate who despised the small contingent of ideological pan – Africanists (aka: black nationalists) who were vital in getting Washington elected.

          I wanted to find some way of making my criticisms public by either leaking them to a friendly journalist, or persuading some public figure to speak out. But I also knew that criticism of Washington by a black person at the time would be tantamount to Read the rest of this entry »

AEJMC 2008 Convention Blows into Chicago

     AEJMC will blow through downtown Chicago August 6 to 9 for its 2008 convention. The Chicago Marriot Downtown Magnificent Mile, located on North Michigan Avenue, is the headquarter hotel. Room rates are $159 per night, single or double, plus applicable taxes. Phone reservations are available by calling 800-228-0265. Please ask for the AEJMC Block. Online reservations can be made through a special link via the AEJMC website (www.aejmc.org). Find time to mix business with pleasure while in the windy city. Check out cool places to visit at www.choosechicago.com  

     The Minorities and Communication Division invites submissions of original research on any topic related to minorities in communication. Submissions employing all methods of inquiry are invited. Papers should include appropriate literature reviews, methodology, findings and discussion.
     The term “minorities” has been defined to include Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Thus, papers examining g how these groups present images, news, and information about themselves, as well as those examining how issues related to race and diversity are featured in the media, would generally fall into this division’s area of interest.
     Papers should not be more than 25 pages. Notes references, tables and other graphics are included in that specification. The MAC Division is sponsoring tow “Award Winning Papers” competitions at this year’s convention: Top faculty and the Alan Bussel Award for Top Student Paper. The “Top” three faculty papers and the “top” student paper will be selected from among the refereed papers submitted to the MAC Division’s competitions. Students must identify their papers as such (“Student Paper”) on the title page of their submission.
     A first place winner in the “Top” faculty paper competition will receive $200. The second place winner will receive $100 and the third place winner will receive $75. The student winner will receive a complimentary ticket for the MAC luncheon and $100. Certificates will be awarded to each of the winners. In addition, the winners of the student competition will have the opportunity to participate in a scholar-to-scholar (poster) session.
      Faculty Competition Contact: Petra Guerra, Research Chair, University of Texas Pan American. Phone: 956-318-5330. Email: cielito@utpa.edu.
     Student Competition Contact: Brenda Edgerton-Webster, student Research Chair, Mississippi State University. Phone: 662-325-5808. Fax: 662-325-3210.
Email: BEdgertonwebster@com.msstate.edu.
     Deadline for papers is 11:59 (Central Daylight Time) Tuesday, April 1, 2008. For information regarding paper submission requirements and AEJMC’s 2008 Uniform Paper Call click on http://aejmc.org/_events/convention/papercall/index.php

MAC Summer 2007 Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Cristina Azocar 

In her keynote address at MAC’s summer 2007 luncheon, Cristina Azocar, argued that many times when talking about racism, we make it comfortable so that everyone can leave the room feeling good. Azocar, director of San Francisco State University’s Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism, spoke to a group of about fifty attendees regarding the state of diversity in America’s newsrooms and educational programs. “People of color now makeup about 32 percent of the US population, but account for just over 14 percent of newsroom employment and about 21.5 percent of television news employment,” she said. “Radio fares worse with minorities making up about 6.2 percent of the news workforce.”

She raised a couple of poignant questions. “Why is it that white people believe they are being discriminated against in getting jobs and internships when the numbers do not bear their argument out? Why is it that such arguments become the basis of laws?” In 1996 Proposition 209 was passed in California prohibiting public institutions from discriminating on the basis of race, sex and ethnicity.Ten years later, Michigan voters amended the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative to end race and gender preferences in its public-hiring and college admissions policies. “Last year, the Dow Jones Newspaper fund was sued, because Read the rest of this entry »

Minorities and Communication Division
Members Meeting Minutes
Aug. 10, 2007, Washington D.C.
Lillie Fears, presiding 

Call to order at 6:45 p.m. Mac Head Lillie Fears welcomed 48 members in attendance and reminded officers of the AEJMC training session Sunday morning.

Approval of 2006-07 minutes Daufin moved, C. Wilson seconded. Approved unanimously.

Head’s Report Fears reported that process of electronic submission was a success. Announced that as part of AEJMC’s strategic plan, each division will give input regarding how does it fit within the larger organization and submit a white paper. She also announced that AEJMC created a Gender, Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Assessment Committee. President Wanta requested a representative from MAC, and Anita Fleming-Rife was appointed.

Programming Highlights Mac submitted 12 programs for joint sponsorship, 7 accepted (58.3%). Other divisions & IGs submitted 36 additional proposals related to MAC’s mission, 3 accepted. MAC was lead sponsor on 70% (10) of all proposals accepted. Four refereed research sessions were sponsored. Co-sponsorships resulted in 1 non-refereed research panel proposed by the History division. Six papers were placed in Scholar-to-Scholar session.

Faculty Competition Thirty one papers were submitted and 14 were accepted (Rate 45%). Student Research Competition: 21 papers submitted, 6 accepted (Rate 28.5%). Faculty paper winners: Top paper ($200) Regina Marchi, Rutgers U; 2nd place ($100) Raúl Tovares, Trinity U; 3rd place ($75) Paul Niwa, Emerson College. Top student winner ($100) Kamille Gentless, U of Michigan.

Report from Midwinter meeting in Reno, NV 3 faculty paper submissions, 2 accepted; 10 student paper submissions, 7 accepted. In Scholar-to-Scholar: 4 posters. MAC was sole sponsor of invited panel titled “Research that Matters.”

Teaching Highlights Co-sponsorships resulted in 2 panels presented. MAC inaugurated the Teaching Diversity Excellence: Best Practices & Challenges signature panel; this will be an ongoing discussion to affirm that teaching Read the rest of this entry »

Special Thanks to Dr. Randy Reddick, Texas Tech University’s Journalism Department Chairman, for establishing MAC’s web presence. Darlene Lee, the MAC newsletter editor and interim webmaster, personally thanks Dr. Reddick for his time and guidance in enabling the existence of MAC online.  

Dr. Camilla Gant, MAC’s Head, has been appointed the inaugural Director of the Mass Communications program at the University of West Georgia, effective fall 2007. In consultation with the department chair, she will oversee curriculum development and assessment, budgeting, course scheduling, advising, scholarship selection, and strategic initiatives. 

Dr. Frances Ward-Johnson, MAC’S PF&R Chair, recently had her work titled “Ida B. Wells-Barnett and America’s First Anti-Lynching Campaign” published as a chapter in the book, Women’s Use of Public Relations for Progressive-Era Reform: Rousing the Conscience of a Nation, The Edwin Mellen Press, September 2007. Ward-Johnson’s chapter focuses on famous American journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett. The chapter highlights a woman’s role in spearheading the activism of black women, the activism of a nation and eventually the world. 

Dr. Ed Mullin was presented the Robert P. Knight Multicultural Recruiting Award at MAC’s summer luncheon. Mullin, a retired University of Alabama journalism professor, received the award for his efforts to create a more diversified journalism workforce.

MAC CALL FOR PAPERS
AEJMC 2008 MIDWINTER CONFERENCE

When: February 29- March 1, 2008
Where: Point Park University, Pittsburgh
Submission Deadline: December 7, 2007

Those researching issues in minorities and communication are encouraged to submit research paper abstracts or panel proposals to be considered for presentation. The AEJMC Midwinter Conference is an annual forum for the presentation of research and the discussion of germane topics in areas relevant to the AEJMC divisions and interest groups sponsoring the conference. The Midwinter Conference traditionally follows an informal structure allowing for presentations and extended discussions in a relaxed setting. The rules permit those presenting papers at the Midwinter Conference to later revise their papers and submit them to the 2008 AEJMC National Convention.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Paper Submissions
Authors should submit research paper proposals in an approximate 300-to 500-word abstract. The abstracts should give a clear sense of the scope of the research, its relevant hypotheses and/or research questions and the method of inquiry used. Conclusions should be highlighted for works that have been completed by the submission deadline. Do not submit full papers to the paper chairs; abstracts are all that is required in order to be considered for presentation at the Midwinter Conference. However, authors of accepted abstracts must submit complete research papers, not exceeding 30 pages, to their discussant two weeks prior to the conference.

Panel Submissions
Panel organizers should submit proposals indicating the panel title, a description of the session’s focus, the issues to be discussed, and a list of potential or confirmed panelists, including their university or professional affiliation.

Info for Paper Submitters and Panel Organizers
Identify the paper’s author(s) or panel’s organizer(s) on the title page only, and include the mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address of the person to whom inquiries should Read the rest of this entry »