Diversity & Inclusion Archives - BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

Journalism Professional DeWayne Wickham Calls on Students to ‘Tear Down Barriers’

Noelle Barrus — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 15:51:38 +0000

Wickham spoke during his Listen Up! Series lecture on the ongoing struggle for journalism to present truth In an effort to better address diversity, inclusion and accessibility, the College of Fine Arts and Communications has been hosting professional guest speakers in an inspirational lecture series. The Listen Up! Series started last semester, and each lecture within the series is sponsored by a different department within the college. On February 4, students from the college participated in the third event of the series with journalism professional DeWayne Wickham. This lecture was hosted by the School of Communications and the BRAVO! series. During the webinar, the School of Communications associate chair Dale Cressman introduced Wickham to the listeners. Wickham is the founding dean of the School of Global Journalism and Communication. He is the author of three books and several articles and is also the founding member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists. To begin his lecture, Wickham discussed the history of journalism. He dove into historical stories of journalism media that spread both helpful and harmful news. “Media can play a supportive and helpful role, or it can play a role that injures not only people but the notion that this is a fair and equitable society,” Wickham said. Wickham expressed the need for current journalism students to learn the right questions to ask and to distinguish between commentary and news. “It is a journalist’s responsibility to report the fact truthfully and represent the truth about the fact,” said Wickham. “There is a place for commentary, but it ought to be identified and distinguished from news and ought not to overshadow the presentation of news.” As he continued discussing the challenges of journalism, Wickham described one way that he learns truths about current events. “I wake up every day mad about something, and then I challenge myself to find information on that thing that has irritated me,” he said. “I am my best news source.” Wickham invited listeners to be their own best news source and expressed the need for our country to bridge the gaps people create from their differences. “We have to find a way in this country to tear down the barriers that separate us. We have to tear down the barriers that make us Blacks and whites and divide us by religion and ideology,” he said. “We have to stop connecting to people simply because they are fellow travelers in some ideological way, and we have to ask the tough questions.”

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Collaboration is Key for Correcting the Imbalance of Privilege

Noelle Barrus — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 19:31:55 +0000

Professor Luke Howard discusses the Diversity and Inclusion Committee initiatives for the college This year, the College of Fine Arts and Communications formed the Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee (DIA) with faculty and administrators from each of the academic areas. Committee member and School of Music professor Luke Howard shared his thoughts on what the DIA committee has worked on this semester and what the plans are for the new year. “The goal is to help everyone in the college and at BYU to feel comfortable negotiating the college space and experience, and to enjoy the full opportunity, capacity and privilege to define that space in a respectful and compassionate environment,” said Howard. One way that Howard seeks to improve is by collaborating with diverse committee members on planning projects and events for the college and seeking to understand privilege. “One of the great strengths of our college is that we all understand the value of interdisciplinary, collaborative work,” said Howard. “I’ve tried to make myself more aware of how privilege has been systematically denied to people who don’t look like me, and I’m working toward redressing that imbalance.” Howard has been working with the committee on campaigns and events to support their goals, such as the Listen Up! series, which hosted notable guest speakers Wynton Marsalis and Ta-Nehisi Coates this semester. “As the semester winds up, we also launched a ‘You Matter Here. You Belong Here’ outreach campaign to help students feel that each one of them is valued and needed in this College and in our community,” said Howard. As the semester comes to an end, the committee wants students to know that it will continue their work next semester. “It’s very exciting, but I have to be patient because while we’ve seen some really good things happening already, the goals of this committee are to effect long-term change, and that takes time,” said Howard. The committee’s efforts are just a small example of the changes going on all over campus. “The DIA Committee is a microcosm of what we hope to see campus-wide; people of different backgrounds and ideas coming together and working together in an environment of equality and respect to help everyone reach their fullest potential,” said Howard. “For me personally, that means thinking more consciously about how I can help others around me succeed with their goals and aspirations.”

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Closing this week, ‘A Studio of Her Own’ exhibit features powerful lessons for 2020

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 15:41:42 +0000

Home builders. Survivors. Trend-setters. Fighters. Standing in the gallery of BYU’s Museum of Art, students can almost hear them whispering from the walls. They are 58 remarkable female artists, and their messages of inspiration and hope are featured in the MOA’s “A Studio of Her Own” exhibit, which closes this week. “We had no idea that 2020 would be such an unexpected and unprecedented year with the pandemic, and with earthquakes and fires and racial unrest,” exhibition curator Janalee Emmer said. But in the paintings, she said, “there’s a lot of relevance for today’s moment.” “A Studio of Her Own” celebrates 110 works by female artists of diverse backgrounds and faiths. Some of their pieces celebrate racial diversity, like the vibrant quilt “Subway Graffiti #3” by prominent Black artist Faith Ringgold, who grew up in Harlem. The piece features superstars like Diana Ross and Michael Jackson as well as the faces of Ringgold’s own friends and family members. Emmer said the unique piece “Blanket Stories,” which features a tower of colorful handwoven blankets, speaks to the universal struggle for identity through the experiences of its creator, Marie Watt, the daughter of a native Seneca mother and a rancher father. While some of the artwork featured in the exhibition focuses on social tension and change, Emmer said there are also pieces meant to bring comfort and hope. Read the full article written by Maddie Mehr at universe.byu.edu.

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BYU Advertising Student Promotes Racial Equality in Utah

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 19:44:48 +0000

Kofi Aidoo started college as a food science major with big plans of becoming a dentist and high expectations about BYU. Now he’s a senior and an advertising major — and his plans and expectations have changed. Aidoo was born in Modesto, California, where his parents, who were originally from Ghana, converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when Aidoo was 2 years old. Aidoo said the Latter-day Saint community where he lived had him convinced that BYU was the perfect school. “It’s what we all aspire to. You’re bound to be successful if you go to BYU, you know?” Aidoo said. He said his time at school has actually been very different than what he originally imagined. He said he appreciates BYU and loves his program but has noticed a huge difference between his experience as a student of color and the experiences of many of his peers. This difference has led Aidoo to become an active advocate for anti-racism in Provo. Though he isn’t associated with the official Black Lives Matter organization, he said that he tries to be a part of the movement. Aidoo helped organize a march against racism that took place on June 13 in Provo, and he’s been vocal on social media about recent events and protests related to racial injustice. Read the rest of the article written by Emily Andersen at universe.byu.edu.

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Panel Discussion on Diversity Brings Professionals to School of Communications

Noelle Barrus — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 19:12:23 +0000

Four professionals answered questions about experiences with diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace during a panel discussion On May 27, the School of Communications invited four panelists to join an online discussion focused on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Around 70 people joined in through Zoom for the opportunity to join the discussion and engage in the Q&A. School of Communications professor and broadcast lab manager Melissa Gibbs organized the event, offered a welcome and introduced the panelists while BYU Comms senior Andrea Cabrera acted as the moderator for the panel. The four panelists included: Valentina Almedia, associate strategy director at Boncom; Othello Richards, biometrics lab manager at BYU School of Communications; Jeremy Harris, reporter at KUTV Channel 2 News; and Nikki Walker, brand experience and community engagement director at Domo. Questions ranged from tips on being an ally to steering clear of bias in the workplace. When the panelists were asked about ways students can be allies to the LGBTQ+ community, Richards and Harris offered a few insights. “As a reporter, you’re going to meet people and do stories and some of them you just don’t agree with what they did,” said Richards. ”I think just accepting people for who they are, for what they are: their color, their gender, their age, anything. That’s just a key to everything. So if you want to be an ally, be an ally of inclusion and acceptance.” Other questions included how to avoid stereotypes and assumptions about groups and minorities when identifying those groups for advertising. “It is incredibly important to know the audience.It is always important to understand the needs by asking as opposed to assuming, because that’s where stereotypes come from,” said Walker. “When we don’t take the extra effort to actually engage with the community to find out what it is that they want, that’s kind of where we start to get into trouble. I always advise students and young professionals who are coming into the public relations industry to do as much research as you can. You gotta do all the reading, but it’s more important to touch the community. It’s more important to have real live conversation with real live people.” As the panel came to a close, parting advice to students included be authentic, work hard, make the most of diversity in your workplaces and be hopeful. To watch the entire panel discussion, visit BYU School of Communications Diversity Panel.

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Diversity + Inclusion | A Message from Dean Adams

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 22:10:05 +0000

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