Moody-Ramirez, Daniels Serve Second Terms, Build Leadership Ladder By George L. Daniels, Ph.D. Vice Head For the first time in recent memory, the Minorities and Communication (MAC) Division has the same head and vice head as the previous year, part of a larger effort to build leadership for the future of this important unit of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. For whatever reason, we have had a good bit of turnover in key officer positions critical to accomplishing the mission of the oldest unit of AEJMC focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. If you look back at the MAC Officers from the last 10 years, at one time we had both a position of vice head and second vicehead. This was designed to place two people in the role of handling developing programming for our annual conference.
Leadership Ladder Many years ago a “leadership ladder” was developed whereby one would move “up” from Student Research Chair to Faculty Research Chair, Second Vice Head and Vice Head before becoming Head of
The Minorities and Communication Division is proud to have three of its members all serving as new deans this school year.
Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D. & George Daniels, Ph.D.
“I am delighted to be joining FAMU in this role,” Ferrier said in a news release from the school, which is located in Tallahassee Florida. “We are immersed in a digital culture that has transformed journalism and graphic communications in deep ways. My mission is to grow our graduates to be leaders and innovators in this new landscape
the division. Similar to the way the AEJMC President must first serve a year as president-elect and vice president before assuming the top leadership position in the association, the MAC leadership leader promotes stability in divisional leadership and affords the persons in top leadership
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Three MAC Members Assume Deanships
PF&R: Understanding the Nuances of Race and Free Speech
Rochelle Ford took over June 30, 2018 as the second dean of the School of Communications at Elon University. On July 1, Former MAC Head Frances Ward-Johnson became dean of College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University. And, October 1, Michelle Ferrier began her new role as dean of the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication at Florida A&M University (FAMU).
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Dr. Paula M. Poindexter Research Grant Winners 1
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MAC Business Meeting Minutes
FA L L 2 0 1 8
Contents 1
Moody-Ramirez, Daniels Serve Second Terms, Build Leadership Ladder
1
Three MAC Members Assume Deanships
4
PF&R: Understanding the Nuances of Race and Free Speech
5
Conference deadlines
6
Dr. Paula M. Poindexter Research Grant
7
Dr. Paula M. Poindexter Research Grant Winners
7
Graduate Student Highlight
8
A Letter from AEJMC MAC Division Head: MiA moody-ramirez
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MAC Business Meeting Minutes MAC NewsletTER Newsletter Liaison: Monica Flippin Wynn Layout & Design: Magen Davis & MAC E-Board Stay in Touch:
Website: mediadiversityforum.isu.edu/MAC/ | Facebook: @mac.aejmc | Twitter: @MacAejmc
MAC Listserv: https://bit.ly/suKxcSo MAC NEWSLETTER 2
Leadership Ladder from page 1
roles ample opportunity to gain experience in how the association works. This experience can also be built by officers serving multiple years in the same position. Such is the case for 2018-2019. Even in the first three weeks of my second term as vice head, I already have a better handle on the “chipping” process for deciding program slots for our annual conference. I understand the importance of timing in striking deals for panels and pitfalls to watch out for in making commitments for a conference that as of this writing is still 10 months away. For 2018-2019, we are excited to have both a student research chair and faculty research chair this year who have experience with research competitions either in the MAC Division or other AEJMC units. We expect that they will remain on our leadership ladder for the next few years.
A Precarious Position Unfortunately, this year, we were in a tough position without individuals who could “move up” to vice head from either research chair position. Having served previously as midwinter chair, faculty and student research chair and vice head, Mia Moody-Ramirez graciously agreed to stay on as our division head for a second year. At the same time, I am once again leading our programming for the conference as vice head, but also playing a second role in helping to train and mentor our current officers so that they can “move up” to eventually become our division’s vice head and head. Our Division Head has taken time to more clearly list the job descriptions for all of us on the MAC Executive committee. We’ve already held the first of at least two conference calls for our division’s leaders each semester.
Planning for the Future Even as the new AEJMC officers start their new terms, we are looking for viable candidates to serve as MAC leaders in 2019-2020 and even 2020-2021. If you are interested, we want to talk to you NOW. Feel free to e-mail either Mia Moody-Ramirez or me. We want you to be involved in our upcoming AEJMC Midwinter Conference at University of Oklahoma. During this year’s conference, which will take place March 1-2, 2019, Former MAC Division Head Meta Carstarphen has graciously offered to host a miniretreat for our MAC officers to train and plan for the future of our division. The conference program is also a great place to offer teaching, research and PF&R panels. If you don’t have a research paper to present at the conference, but would be interested in being on panel at the Midwinter Conference, do let us know early.
Deanships from page 1
Michelle Ferrier, Ph.D.
Rochelle Ford, Ph.D.
Returning to her alma mater, Ward-Johnson received both her undergraduate degree in English and journalism and her master’s degree in English and African American literature from North Carolina A&T, the largest public HBCU in the nation. It is her second faculty appointment at the school where as an assistant professor she previously worked as sequence coordinator for public relations in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. With six departments and nine programs in seven buildings, the College of Arts, Humanities and Sciences is the largest academic unit at North Carolina A&T. She had been Faculty Fellow for Leadership in the Provost’s Office at Elon University.
Frances Ward-Johnson, Ph.D.
As Ward-Johnson departed Elon 3
this summer, Ford was becoming the first woman to serve as dean of the School of Communications. Ford spent close to four years at Syracuse University as professor and chair of the public relations department at the Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before moving north, Ford was at Howard University for 16 years where she served as a faculty member and administrator. In addition to her work experience, Ford has also received several awards, including the Public Relations Society of America’s national D. Parke Gibson Multiculturalism Award, PRSA’s National Capital Chapter Diversity Champion Award, the National Black Public Relations Society Founders Award, the International Award for Innovative Teaching, Learning & Technology and PRWeek’s 30 Under 30 Award.
PF&R: Understanding the Nuances of Race and Free Speech
2018; NABJ, 2018). The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) President Sarah
By Leticia Williams, Ph.D.
Glover called these comments “appalling, irresponsible, and should be denounced” (NABJ, 2018, para. 3). The NABJ issued a call
Our current social discourse has magnified issues concerning the First Amendment and race, and amplified the need for increased awareness of issues regarding free speech. The significance of the First Amendment in promoting progress for racial and ethnic communities can be traced back to the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s (Lindsay, 2018), or even earlier through the work of Mary Ann Shadd Cary who fostered Black activism and became the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in 1854 (Jones, 2018).
female journalists to end (NABJ, 2018). Additionally,
CNN’s
chief
White
House
correspondent Jim Acosta, the son of a Cuban immigrant, had his White House press pass revoked after a contentious interaction during a press conference following Acosta’s disapproved line of questioning. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) President Hugo Balta condemned association member Acosta’s treatment and the attempt to “silence” his voice as a member of the press (NAHJ, 2018). U.S. District Judge Kelly reinstated
Pertinent examples of the influence of free speech on race are not limited to journalism or mass media. For example, in higher education students have held campus protests to challenge racism or bring attention to the race and ethnicity of gun violence victims. However, the
for these demeaning verbal attacks on Black
increased
unfavorable
interactions
between the White House administration and minority journalists calls for scholarship not only on the treatment of minority journalists, but also a deeper understanding of how race potentially influences free speech. Recently, journalists have been scrutinized by the current White House administration, including a pattern of criticizing Black female journalists (Jones, 2018). Three women (Abby Phillip of CNN, Yamiche Alcindor of PBS NewsHour, and April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Network) have been referred to as “loser” and in reference to their work and role as a journalist, and condemned for asking “a stupid question” and “a racist question” (Jones,
Acosta’s press pass, but Judge Kelly noted that that his ruling did not decipher whether Acosta’s First Amendment rights were violated (Wheeler, 2018).
Leticia Williams Ph,D.
References Jones, M.S. (2018, November 12). When black women journalists fight back. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https:// www.washingtonpost.com/ Lindsay, T. (2018, October, 26). Opponents of campus free-speech laws forgot the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/ National Association of Black Journalists. (2018, November 9). NABJ appalled by Trump’s disrespect of Black female journalists. Retrieved from https://www.nabj.org/ news National Association of Hispanic Journalists. (2018, November 7). NAHJ condemns attack on Jim Acosta during and after press conference. Retrieved from http://www. nahj.org/ Wheeler, L. (2018, November 16). Judge orders White House to reinstate Acosta’s press credentials. The Hill. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/
These examples are indicators of the need for continued research about the interdependent relationship between free speech and race that examines the demeaning treatment of minority journalists, and how the First Amendment protects continued news coverage of issues about race and ethnicity that are vital to the progress of minority communities. This is an opportunity for MAC division scholars to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of these contemporary issues through rigorous scholarship that fulfills the mission of our division to explore the role minorities are playing in journalism, and the discourse of race and ethnicity in media and mass communication.
Do you have an item for our newsletter? Please email it to AEJMC MAC Newsletter Chair Monica Flippin Wynn: mflippinwynn@lindenwood.edu.
To view previous issues of the AEJMC MAC newsletter, please visit our website: https://www.mediadiversityforum.lsu.edu/MAC/newsletters.html
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Save the Dates
The Minorities and Communication division (MAC) is committed to advancing research, teaching and professional freedom and responsibility scholarship and initiatives that explore the relationship between racial and ethnic minorities and mass communication. Below are regional, national and international conferences that offer the opportunity for faculty and students to present research on various topics. We encourage you to consider submitting your research.
Conference Deadlines AEJMC Midwinter Conference The AEJMC Midwinter Conference is an annual forum for the presentation of research and debate in areas relevant to the AEJMC groups (divisions, interest groups and commissions) sponsoring the event. The conference provides a platform for presentations and extended discussions in a relaxed setting. Deadline for submissions: around Dec. 1 each year. Conference usually held the first week of March. AEJMC Conference The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofi t, educational association of journalism and mass communication . The 2019 AEJMC Conference will be held Aug. 7-10 in Toronto. ICA Conference ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. The 2019 conference will be held in Washington, D.C. | 24-28 May 2019. IPRRC The 22nd International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) will be held March 7-9, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. The submission requires a one-page abstract for competitive consideration. All abstracts will be peer-reviewed by three independent judges. Abstracts can include either completed research or research-in-progress.The abstract submission deadline for next year's competition is around November 6, 2019. NCA The National Communication Association advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. The 2019 NCA conference will be held in Baltimore November 14 - 17, 2019. The deadline to submit papers and proposals March 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
SEC
The Southeast Colloquium The 44th Annual AEJMC Southeast Colloquium will be held in Columbia, South Carolina March 7-9, 2019. Submission deadline each year: around December 15. SWECJMC Southwest Symposium The Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication exists to promote the recognition, welfare and progress of journalism and mass communication education in the Southwest part of the United States. The 2019 Southwest Symposium will be hosted by Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Papers must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central time on July 1. Peer reviews will then be conducted and completed by August 15. World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) The World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) conference will be held at UniversitĂŠ ParisDauphine, Paris, France, July 9-11, 2019. AEJMC invites full papers on the topic of Global Media in a Disruptive Age to be presented at a special AEJMC-sponsored research session at the fifth World Journalism Education Congress in Paris, France.Deadline Feb. 1, 2019. 5
The Minorities and Communication (MAC) Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication is accepting applications for the inaugural Dr. Paula M. Poindexter Research Grant. The grant honors the tireless work of Dr. Paula M. Poindexter, former MAC division head and former AEJMC president. Dr. Poindexter’s commitment to the division, AEJMC and the academy are invaluable.
Dr. Paula M. Poindexter Research Grant
This year’s faculty grant includes $500 in research support. The student grant includes $250 in research support. The research grant may be used to cover some or all of the cost of such scholarly expenses as archives, travel, costs for surveys and transcriptions, traveling to an archive, or paying for an online survey service or to photocopy documents. Applications must be submitted through the form below before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Friday, June 1, 2018. Late applications will not be accepted. All applications will be blind reviewed.
Requirements: • Separate applications have been made for the faculty and student-only applications. Student Grant Application: • To be considered for the student grant application, investigators must Student Grant Application: be current students as of June 1, 2018. Student research applications with faculty members will not be disqualified. • All applicants must be current MAC members as of June 1, 2018. You can check your membership status by Faculty Grant Application: contacting AEJMC Membership Director Pamella Price at aejmcmemsub@aol. com. • Research must be related to racial minorities in the United States and communication. The term “racial/ ethnic minorities” has been defined to include Latina/os, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Therefore, proposals examining how Submissions will be judged based on the these groups present images, news and/ following criteria: or other information about themselves, • Research relevance to the MAC as well as those examining how issues Division and/or perspectives related to race/ • Theoretical or conceptual insight ethnicity and diversity are featured • Appropriateness of methodological in mainstream or other specialized approach media, would generally fall into this • Overall impression and research division’s area of interest. Our division impact also welcomes proposals for research The results will be announced at the on teaching or pedagogy related to Minorities and Communication business minorities in communication. Grant meeting at the AEJMC annual convention in proposals employing any scholarly Washington, D.C. One student and one method of inquiry are invited. faculty submission will be awarded funding. • There is no limit on the number of Grant recipients must provide a report on investigators per proposal, but each how they used grant funds by July 1, 2019. investigator cannot submit more than one proposal. The committee reserves to right to not award • Current members of the Minorities a grant winner in any given year. For and Communication executive board for questions, please contact Danielle Kilgo, 2017-2018 are not eligible to apply for Ph.D., at dkilgo@iu.edu or Sydney Dillard, this grant. sdillar2@depaul.edu. 6
Graduate Student Spotlight
By Aqsa Bashir
Dr. Paula M. Poindexter Research Grant Winners Earlier this year, we announced the inaugural launch of the Dr. Paula M. Poindexter Research Grants, which funded select research endeavors of MAC faculty and student members. The grant was named in honor of Dr. Paula M. Poindexter, former head of the MAC division and former AEJMC president, for her steadfast dedication to our division and AEJMC. We were pleased to receive several outstanding applications for last year’s competition. We were thrilled to congratulate our two winners, Dr. Cristina Azocar and Lourdes M. Cueva Chacón, at the August 2018 MAC members’ meeting. Dr. Cristina Azocar (Associate Professor of Journalism, San Francisco State University) received our faculty research grant award. Her project was titled, “Gambling on Recognition: News Coverage of Virginia Indians Search for Federal Acknowledgment” and will answer questions about media representation of Native American tribes’ endeavors for federal recognition using a dataset that spans a 40-year period. This research will contribute to a book manuscript. Lourdes M. Cueva Chacón (Doctoral Student, University of Texas at Austin) was awarded the student research grant for her project titled, “A Gentlemen’s Agreement: How local press imagines and re-imagines the place of minorities in the community.” Her project analyzes the political processes that led to persistent segregation in the city of Austin and the media’s role in representing the issue. Chacón’s proposed project will be part of her dissertation. Our sincerest congratulations to these two scholars! The official call for submissions and application for the 2019 competition will be sent out shortly after the AEJMC research competition deadline on April 1st. All applicants must be current AEJMC and MAC members at the time of submission, and cannot currently be executive board members. For questions about this upcoming competition, please email Danielle Kilgo at dkilgo@iu.edu. 7
Kelsy-Ann Adams is a second-year doctoral student in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. Kelsy has a strong commitment to the empowerment of women through research and practice. Her research focuses on branding, specifically how female entrepreneurs use social media to build their brands and engage with their audience. As an entrepreneur herself, Kelsy seeks to explore the specific challenges and barriers to business success that plague women, specifically women of color. Her latest co-authored work “A Conceptual Model on Black Consumer-Brand Identity Congruence and Personal Care Purchase Intentions” won a top student paper in the MAC division at the 2018 AEJMC in D.C. Her research found that when confronted with the choice of deciding between products from Shea Moisture-a black founded brand that is perceived to still be black-owned, and the Pantene Gold Series Collection--a mainstream hair care collection that targets black women, black women gravitated toward Shea Moisture. In spite of Pantene’s attempt at consumer connection, the women in this study expressed a preference for Shea Moisture because its image and projected identity were perceived to appeal more to their ethnocentric sensibilities. Adams is currently preparing to present her research in Canada, Spain, and Germany in the coming year, and continues to advance research about women of color breaking barriers in business through sharing their life stories.
It is with great pleasure that I begin my second term as head of the AEJMC MAC Division. As I reflect on the accomplishments of our division, I am optimistic and pleased with the progress that was made last year. MAC Research and Programming In line with the MAC vision, we sponsored programs to “cultivate programming emphasizing critical economic, political, legal, ethical, and social issues that define the role of racial and ethnic minorities in media and mass communication education.” Most notably, we sponsored well-attended panels and research presentations at the 2018 Midwinter and AEJMC conferences. Kudos to the 2018 Vice Head George Daniels and research chairs, Riva Brown and Joseph Erba, for lining up an outstanding slate of presenters.
To acknowledge the Lionel C. Barrow legacy, we sponsored a 50th Anniversary Barrow Soiree. This outstanding event gave MAC division members and attendees the opportunity to acknowledge previous Barrow award recipients and to honor Barrow’s vision, courage and advocacy that led to the creation of AEJ’s Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Education and then the foundation of the Minorities and Communication Division in 1970. I extend a special thanks to Dr. Monica Flippin Wynn and Dr. George Daniels for chairing the Barrow Soiree and Dr. Meta Carstarphen for helping plan the event. If you were unable to attend the first ever soiree sponsored by the MAC division, you missed a treat! If you would like to donate, it is not too late. You may donate using this general AEJMC contributions link: https://aejmc2.wufoo.com/ 8
forms/aejmc-contributions/. Please designate the funds for the MAC division. The MAC Division will also launch in this newsletter issue a fundraising campaign to help fund the Barrow Award. To encourage scholarship and offer greater member benefits, the MAC division introduced two research grants last year. The grant is named in honor of Dr. Paula M. Poindexter, a faithful supporter and former head of the MAC division and former AEJMC president. This award encourages research in the area of diversity. MAC Membership Our membership numbers, while up from 2015 and 2016, remained constant for 2017 and 2018. We have approximately 185 members. While we are pleased that we didn’t lose any members, we would like to have an INCREASE in membership
Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., MAC Division Head numbers. Please think about how you can help expand our membership base. In 2016, with generous financial support from Dr. Paula Poindexter, the MAC Division launched the “Dr. Carolyn Stroman New Graduate Membership Award” to help recruit more graduate student members. This initiative is still going strong; however, we are seeking financial support to sustain this worthwhile program. You may donate using this general AEJMC contributions link: https://aejmc2.wufoo.com/ forms/aejmc-contributions/. The Future Together, MAC division members and officers have made many great strides over the last year. However, we cannot rest on our laurels or become complacent about the goals of the MAC Division. The mission of the AEJMC MAC Division is to promote research, teaching
and initiatives in the intersection of racial/ethnic minorities and mass communication. In today’s socio-political climate, our mission is more important than ever! We must be more vigilant than ever in sharing and encouraging a deep commitment MAC ideals and purposes. In recent months, politics and race relations in the United States have continued to erupt. African American female reporters have been under attack and the midterm elections were a huge source of discontent. As educators, administrators and scholars, it is vital for us to shape our research, teaching, and service activities with the intent of encouraging students to be unbiased communicators with a keen awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion. It is more important to collaborate with university peers, community agencies 9
and organizations to encourage and foster “research, teaching and professional freedom and responsibility scholarship and initiatives that explore the relationship between racial and ethnic minorities and mass communication.” As I embark on my second year as the AEJMC MAC Division head, I challenge you to remain steadfast in confronting the new challenges and goals that we face as scholars and educators in the 21st Century. It won’t be easy. Yet, we persevere… Yours in Service, Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D. 2017-19 AEJMC MAC Division Head
2018 AEJMC Conference Photo Highlights Aug. 6-9, 2018, Washington, DC
2018-19 AEJMC MAC Division Officers
Minutes
2018 Minorities and Communication Division Members’ Meeting August 7, 2018 Renaissance Hotel Washington, DC
MAC Division Head Mia Moody-Ramirez called the meeting to order at 1:37 p.m. AEJMC President-Elect Marie Hardin addressed MAC members about her planned initiatives in 2018-2019 as she will become AEJMC President at the AEJMC Business Meeting on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. Hardin discussed her focus for the year will be on strengthening the association’s engagement with graduate education. She has appointed a task force focusing in this area. She commended the MAC Division for its initiatives focused on graduate student development such as the practice of holding a separate research competition for student papers and the Carolyn Stroman Graduate Student Awards program, which provides a free one-year divisional membership to those who present papers in the division. Hardin invited MAC members to volunteer to serve on committees that will she will be appointing the coming year. After her brief remarks, Hardin opened the floor for questions. The following concerns were raised: ● What can be done at the association-level to assist those who do qualitative research that often requires more time to publication? ● Could AEJMC help in the development of quantifiable evidence of this longer time to publication and the impact that it might have on one’s track toward tenure and promotion ● Could research funds be allocated to research areas for which there are rarely research funds available (AKA non-traditional research areas) ● What can be done to address the dearth of tenured professors of color who are eligible to serve as external reviewers for faculty seeking promotion to full professor? ● How do we address lack of understanding on the part of academic journal reviewers who seem to be unfamiliar with scholarship that addresses aspects of diversity? ● Why do marginalized people have to justify why research on diversity is important? (Potential action steps-- volunteer to be a reviewer for Howard Journal of Communications; raise the issue with the AEJMC Publications Committee, which directs the work of the editors of Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Journalism and Communication Monographs) ● Barriers for those doing diversity research cannot be just a topic addressed at panels once a year, which often draw those reviewers who don’t understand diversity research.
● What about the possibility of offering training for reviewers on diversity issues via an AEJMC webinar? ● What can be done to address bias that faculty who are women and domestic often receive on course evaluations? (Possible solution—could this be the subject of an article in an upcoming AEJMC newsletter) MAC Division Head Mia Moody-Ramirez reported the division’s membership was nearly 200. Midwinter Research Chair Melody Fisher reported that the MAC Division received 19 submissions for the 2018 Midwinter Conference. Of those 19 abstracts, 12 were accepted. But only 10 papers were actually presented. The 2019 AEJMC Midwinter Conference will take place March 1-2, 2019. In the absence of our student and faculty research chairs, Vice Head George Daniels presented the Research Chairs Report. There were three traditional panels of student and faculty research and one high density research session, which was well-attended. There were no poster presentations in the MAC Division this year. Daniels reported two challenges this year-- 1) The number of students submitting papers focused on areas of diversity that fall OUTSIDE of the division’s focus area (i.e. research on International issues, GLBTQ+ issues or religion). At least four papers were re-directed to other units and one was returned to the author because it fell outside of the MAC Division’s coverage area. Daniels suggested we might want to add an additional to the Call for Papers stressing areas that are NOT included in the Minorities and Communication Research area. 2) People from the division’s leadership who submitted papers for the research competition Daniels solicited everyone attending to the members’ meeting to complete a research reviewer profile so that we will have a pool of willing reviewers for the 2019 research competition – both for the Midwinter Conference in March and the annual conference next August. Daniels gave a report on the panels that were presented this year’s conference. The MAC Division sponsored TWO sole-sponsored panels. One of those was the first ever Breakfast with Hispanic Media. While not as well-attended as desired, the information provided was invaluable. There are talks about doing a similar event at the 2020 AEJMC Conference in San Francisco that would draw Hispanic broadcasters from the Bay Area. Daniels ended his panels’ report with a solicitation for program panel ideas for the 2019 conference in Toronto. He introduced the proposed pre-conference on mentoring young scholars in research on Minorities and Media. Mia Moody-Ramirez reported on the online assets of the Division. Moody-Ramirez gave a brief financial update on the Division, which began the year October 1, 2017 with a balance of $6, 463.81. The Division balance as of June 30, 2018 was $7, 241.75.
She indicated this was good considering the division is sponsoring a Lee Barrow Scholarship Soiree, which required the up front payment of a large minimum deposit and the first grants were awarded for the Paula Poindexter Research Grant Program (see below). She thanked Vice Head George Daniels for successfully seeking external support (Corporate sponsors) for multiple MAC Sponsored events this year. Kathleen McElroy presented an update on MAC Mentoring Program. McElroy reported that 10 matches between mentors and mentoree (her term for those who are mentored) were made in January. The mentors reported communication with their mentorees in various levels of frequency. Some just had initial communication while others talked on a monthly basis. She plans to get started a lot earlier with mentors and mentorees this year. McElroy reports a great luncheon for mentors and mentorees at the Acadiana Restaurant here in Washington, DC. She proposes doing a similar luncheon perhaps in Toronto in conjunction with the proposed mentoring pre-conference. In the absence of the PF&R Chair, Mia Moody-Ramirez and George Daniels gave updates on the work of the PF&R Chair, who provided information on a statement on hate speech that was developed during the last few months. The PF&R chair also wrote an article on the concerns about safety in the wake of plans for a “Unite the White” rally. This comes on the heels of an incident where attendees at the International Communication Association (ICA) were confronted by white supremacists during the recent ICA Conference in Prague. Vice Head George Daniels reminded MAC members of the upcoming AEJMC elections cycle, which begins with nominations for AEJMC Vice President and all four standing committees on October 15; Teaching, Research, Publications and Professional Freedom and Responsibility as well as a one representative on the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). Both Daniels and former MAC Head Lillie Fears serve on the AEJMC Nominations Committee, which reviews the candidates and develops the slate of officers. Linda Callahan announced that she will be ending her term next year on the Standing Committee on Teaching and another MAC Member Karen Turner have completed her term on the Teaching Committee. It was suggested that members read ALL of the candidates’ biographical sketches when they are released on the AEJMC website and CAST THEIR VOTES immediately when the elections are held in the spring. Don’t wait or miss out on this important opportunity to ensure diverse leaders are elected for the association. From the Council of Divisions, Moody-Ramirez presented information on the three proposed sites for the AEJMC 2022 Convention: Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis.
To be reported back to the Council of Divisions, the votes for the prospective convention sites were: Chicago (August 3-6 or August 11-14) -Indianapolis (August 10-13) –
6 0
Detroit (August 3-6) --
20
Mia Moody Ramirez recapped the development of the Paula Poindexter Grants Program and Dr. Poindexter gave brief remarks about the excitement she has over the grants program being named for her. The first Poindexter Faculty Research Grant was presented to Dr. Cristina Azocar from San Francisco State University. The Faculty Grant recipient receives a grant of $1,000 while a student grant recipient will receive a grant of $500.00 Mia Moody-Ramirez presented certificates to the Stroman Award Winners. These student paper presenters received a one-year MAC Division membership. Moody-Ramirez presented the first MAC Division Trailblazer Award to former MAC Head Federico Subervi of University of Leeds. As the meeting concluded, Moody-Ramirez was recognized for publishing her third book. The first copies of ​From Blackface to Black Twitter: Reflections on Black Humor, Race, Politics and Gender​, which is co-authored with Former AEJMC President Dr. Jannette Dates were shown to attendees. Meeting was adjourned at approximately 3:10 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: George Daniels AEJMC MAC Division Vice Head