MELEIKA GARDNER By Brianna Riza
When asked if she has a personal responsibility to be a voice for marginalized groups, without hesitation the answer for Meleika Gardner is a resounding yes. Not only is it her responsibility, she goes on to mention how she has found her life’s purpose in helping to uplift those voices that are not always heard. In 2016, Gardner began Evanston Live TV, a video news platform aimed at reporting on local news and affairs. There is no one subject Evanston Live TV leaves untouched, politics, business, events, cuisine, history, and art.
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Some topics are more controversial than others however a stance of neutrality is always maintained letting the viewers think for themselves. In a few short years Evanston Live TV by the hand of Meleika Garnder has cultivated an incredibly engaging and well-rounded media platform that spotlights multi-faceted stories and emphasizes voices just as diverse. Currently over 11,000 people like or follow Evanston Live TV on Facebook. The significance of Evanston Live TV is rooted not only in the fact it is a successful independent media platform, but more so in that it is a platform founded and operated by a Black Woman.
With movement likes #OscarsSoWhite The misrepresentation of Black People in the media has garnered a lot of conversation and attention. However the gross absence of Black media ownership is rarely paid attention to. According to a several year old study by the Federal Communications Commision less than 10 or .6 percent of Television stations and less than 4 percent of radio stations are Black owned.
