The Standard- Summer 2009

THE STANDARD...because diversity matters

SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE EDITION

Newsletter of the AEJMC Commission on the Status of Minorities

Sponsored by The University of Alabama Department of Journalism

Lionel Barrow

Legacy

of

The

TRIBUTE TO A TRAILBLAZER

VIEWSFROM THE

CHAIR

Dear members of CSM,

This is a special issue of The Standard.

It is both the CSM newsletter, up-dating you on recent activities of the Commission, and also a photographic tribute to Lionel Barrow Jr. who passed away earlier this year. There are a number of tributes to Lionel Barrow Jr. in this issue, in the MAC newsletter and across AEJMC, testament to his importance and stature in our field. It was a unique moment for me personally to have had the op-portunity to work with Lionel on the CSM executive. There are rare people whose lives are guided by their belief in a larger idea and a greater good. They have a sense of responsibility beyond that for their own self, a sense of duty and service which guide them to action. This is always a difficult choice, filled with challenges and sacrifice. The academic world is not full of such people, and so the rare ones stand out. And Lionel Barrow Jr. always stood out in this way. There are many ways to wage a struggle. Lionel was able to extend a national struggle for justice to the academic world through his leadership, mentoring and service. We should all be grateful for his in-

volvement in AEJMC. He made what he found a better place for everyone. The Commission on the Status of Minorities worked with resolve this year to advance its mission. Accord-ing to its bylaws, CSM is charged with improving the status of minorities in AEJMC, in mass communication education, and in the professions. As the policy-making and oversight body on diversity for AEJMC and for all divisions, CSM: 1. Coordinates and assesses diver-sity efforts of AEJMC, and

2. Raises visibility and awareness of diversity efforts, promotes and cel-ebrates diversity in AEJMC.

We had a range of activities in 2009 in pursuit of our goals. One of the more important accomplishments this year was the establishment of a new mini-plenary for CSM to utilize in advancing its mission. Since CSM has no chips with which to organize panels, there has been no way to advance a discussion of this kind about the issues CSM is charged to pursue. The AEJMC Board of Directors agreed with this need and formally approved a permanent mini-plenary for CSM. This year, the CSM mini-plenary is devoted to celebrating the Latino press in the U.S., on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the El Misisipi, the first Latino newspaper in the U.S. The plenary is on Wednesday, August 5, 3.15pm to 4.45pm, and the speaker is Rossan Rosado, publisher of the El Diario-La Prensa and ImpreMedia newspapers. Another important achievement was the creation of a new award to honor diversity efforts at AEJMC. Along with MAC, we are presenting the first annual Barrow Award for Dis-

tinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education. A committee reviewed applications and chose Prof. Paula Poindexter of the University of Texas at Austin for the award. The Barrow award will be pre-sented during the AEJMC Business Meeting on Friday, August 7, 10.00am to 12.00pm by CSM and MAC chairs. This award not only honors someone whose career has been dedicated to is-sues of minorities and diversity, but is also an opportunity to publicize such achievements and issues to the broader AEJMC community. There are other points as well worth noting. CSM participated in the AEJMC Winter Meeting; I am par-ticipating as CSM Chair on the panel “Strategies to Attract and Keep Di-verse Students and Faculty”; we col-laborated with the GREDA Committee to find ways to reward diversity in departments of mass communication in higher education; and at the AEJMC Business Meeting, we will present an assessment of the status of minorities across the conference by analyzing AEJMC’s own demographic data. The CSM Membership Meeting is set to follow the MAC Membership Meeting, in the same location, Thurs-day, August 6, 8.30pm to 10.00pm. Please come to our meeting, and show your support by attending our first mini-plenary and the award ceremony at the Business meeting. I would like to thank the CSM Executive (Linda Callahan, Curtis Lawrence, George Daniels and John Arnold) for a year of dedicated work toward these accomplishments. And as I leave as the Chair of CSM, I can only affirm what we all know, that struc-tures like CSM can make a difference to organizations like AEJMC, and it is up to each of us to make such potential a reality. Have a good summer and see you all in Boston.

2 THE STANDARD

HaygOshagan

3THE STANDARD

Tribute to a TrailblazerThe Legacy of Lionel Barrow:

On behalf of my co-newsletter editor John Arnold, I would like to invite you to be enlightened in a special way with this special edition of THE STANDARD. Under the leadership of our commission chair, Hayg Oshagan, we decided to produce this commemorative edition in print format as one way to honor a legend. Dr. Lionel Barrow is special not only to the Commission on the Status of MInorities, but countless others both in AE-

JMC and elsewhere in the fields of mass media. Both John and I have connections to Lionel Barrow, albeit in different ways. Most recently, John served on the faculty in Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications, of which Dr. Barrow was the second dean from 1975 to 1985. I am a 1992 cum laude graduate of what was then the School of Communications and a recipient of the Lionel Barrow Minority Doctoral Student Scholarship. In producing this commemorative edition, we assembled a mix of tributes from a small sample of those touched by Dr. Barrow and his work. We also

turned to our AEJMC archives for reminders of Barrow’s work that dates back more than three decades. In that time span, he provided wisdom in his writings that is as relevant today as when it was originally published. Unlike the typical audience for an AEJMC divisional newsletter, the readers for this edition are not just CSM members, but many just now learning about his legacy of leadership on diversity. It is our hope that you, the read-ers, will be inspired to take an active role in continuing the work of Lionel Barrow both as a member of AEJMC and in as a participant/observer of the mass media in general. - George L. Daniels Newsletter co-editor

A Special Edition for a Special Man

Lionel Barrow presented George Daniels with the Barrow Minority Scholarship in 2001.

A Tribute to Lionel Barrow BY JANNETTE DATES

Salute to an eminent scholar BY JERRY DOMATOB Poynter Institute Reviews Lessons of Lionel Barrow BY KAREN DUNLAP An Album of Memories

Barrow Scholarship Winners: Then and Now COMPILED BY ALEX ORTIZ

First recipient of new Barrow Award BY JOHN ARNOLD

810

467

in this issue

13

Lee B. Becker/University of Georgia

4 THE STANDARD


Dr. Lionel C. Barrow, Jr. –or Lee, as he was known to most of us in later years—was well known, and well respected for three “c’s” : his commitment to diversity, his courageousness and his candor. Sometimes those three “c’s” got him into hot water—but the thing about Lee Barrow is that early in his life, he decided that he did not care about “the hot water;” when he felt passionately about something, he felt compelled to speak his mind to any and all who would listen.

A VISIONARY EDUCATOR I first met Dean Barrow-- as I called him when he was my first dean at Howard University—in 1981, when I began teaching in the Department of Radio, Television & Film. He was widely regarded as a visionary educator who had a plan for how the brand new School of Communications would be shaped. He set up four departments, placed a strong emphasis on graduate education, led the movement that resulted in the initial accreditation of the programs in journalism, radio and television--and he pioneered in establishing a link between the radio and television stations owned by the University. Dean Barrow had come to Howard, after completing his undergraduate work at Morehouse College, graduating second in his class in 1948, in a class that included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr.Barrow had a varied career as a political activist and journalist. As a youth he had picked asparagus in Long Island, N.Y., and tobacco in Connecticut, and later worked as a reporter for several weeklies, including the Richmond Afro-American. He had been a radio announcer and worked as a college professor at Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin. By 1960, he had also served in the armed forces and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin.

In the 1960s, Dr. Barrow worked in research departments in the advertising industry, and in 1968 he became vice president and associate director of research for the Foote, Cone and Belding Advertising Agency in New York.

TIME TO SPEAK UP It was in the summer of 1968, however, that Lee Barrow found his voice—and began to make others aware of his commitment to diversity, his courage and his candor. For when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, Lee Barrow felt compelled to make a difference by not allowing business to continue as usual at the Association for Education in Journalism (AEJ—as it was called then). In 1968, Lee had the courage to stand up –in a room full of nearly 150 white male educators, who were his colleagues—and tell them that they had a moral, social and educational responsibility to do whatever was necessary “to end its totally white, virtually all male constituency in its association and in the media to which it sends its graduates.” As you can imagine, there was stunned silence, at first. Then, the members began to think of ways to do as Dr. Barrow had suggested. They established an Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Education, which Dr. Barrow chaired, and a program to recruit, train and place an increasing number of minorities in its J-schools.

A Tribute to Lionel C. Barrow, Jr.by JANNETTE L. DATES

5THE STANDARD


MAC DIVISION IS BORN In 1970, Lee Barrow founded and became acting head of AEJ’s Minorities and Communication Division. Later, the AEJMC established the Lionel C. Barrow Scholarship in his honor to support graduate education for women and minorities seeking to become professionals in communication. The scholarship is available today—and some of our alumni and students have benefited from it. In 1997, Dr. Barrow received the AEJMC Presidential Award for his contributions to the association. In 1975, Lee Barrow came to Howard University to serve as the School’s third dean. Preceding him had been Tony Brown and Lovinger Bowden. He served our school as dean –tirelessly—for 10 years. In 1985, he left Howard—but in many ways, he never left Howard. He continued to nurture students, alumni, faculty members and this dean. Whenever he had an opportunity to help us, he did so. FORMER CHAIR COMMISSION ON STATUS OF MINORITIES In 2004, when I began my service as president of AEJMC , Dr. Barrow served as chair of the Commission on the Status of Minorities and I asked him to chair a special task force that I set up to address the stagnation of the diversity issue within the association. At the end of that year, Dr. Barrow came forward with a resolution that was embraced by the entire association --- and then a committee was formed to find a way to reward “diversity best practices” within the JMC academic world. That diversity best practices initiative is still a part of the association’s best ideas.

A FAMILY MAN In addition to his many professional accomplishments—Dean Barrow had a life! He was first married to Carmen Torres who preceded him in death.

In 1992, he married Frederica Crowell Harrison. Dr. Frederica Barrow-- a daughter of Howard who earned her Ph.D. in the College of Arts and Sciences—and their (between them) 5 daughters, are with us today. The Barrows’ 5 daughters include: Kirsten Erin Barrow Germantown Maryland; Lia Barrow Ward, San Francisco California; Brenda Feliciano, North Bergen NJ; Emily H. Smith, Washington DC ; and Laura E. Harrison, Atlanta Georgia. The Barrows also had 7 grand children: Ceon r Gabriella, Alexandra, Vincent, Kyra, Jasmine and Elijah Ward and 4 great grandchildren Lucas, Angelica Carmen, Rafaelle and Samara Car‘Lee. We all know that they will all miss him—as he would want them to do. But he left them some things that will sustain them. He left them a road map to use in life. He showed them that in life the three C’s that he was known for and respected for can be anchors for their own lives. And by his example, his unwavering commitment, courage and candor are now passed on to new generations of Barrows. Lee Barrow left huge footprints in the sands of time for generations of educators to follow and try to fill. We—at Howard University—will miss his enduring spirit.

A former president of AEJMC, Jannette L. Dates is dean of the John H. Johnson School of Communications at Howard University. This tribute was originally presented during a memorial service for Dr. Barrow on February 15, 2009.

“ By his example, his unwavering commitment, courage and candor are now passed on to new generations of Barrows.”

6 THE STANDARD


Salute to an eminent communication educatorGracing eternity’s hall of fameStruts Prof. Lee as a hero without blameSmiling at his grand bequestGlittering as noble conquest

Famous and renowned teacherHe inspired as a star preacherOutstanding, energetic and assiduousDetermined, dedicated and meticulous

Valiant man of honor and integrityHe treated all with dignityLee always outshined as a celebrityWho championed ethical probity

Brave warrior for all seasonsLee outsmarted with reasonsThoughtful, dutiful and carefulLike the wise, industrious and truthful

Eminent communication educatorProf. Lee shined as a facilitatorGuide, mentor and pathfinderHelper, torchbearer and trailblazer

Ace strategist who championed pro-actionHe tactfully tackled diverse reactionAstute, diplomatic and skilfulLee excelled as a crisis manager

Foremost planner, designer and organizer Lee towered as a builderIllustrious achiever who paved avenuesHe assisted many reap golden revenues

Salute to a victor, friend and motivatorLike catalysts, Lee served as an activatorReliable friend, ally and family headLee outrivals forever as a star that leads

Dr. Jerry Komia Domatob is an associate professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Alcorn State Univer-sity in Lorman, Mississippi. He is currently working on two poetry books.

by Jerry Komia Domatob Dating back to the late 1970s, Dr. Barrow was among the first scholars to offer validation to my emerging research and writing about race/ethnicity and the media. In 1980, I received the Lee Barrow Theory & Methodology Division scholarship. That award was a turning point in my academic life as I used the money to attend the International Association for Media Communication Research (IAMCR) conference in Caracas, Venezuela, where the world of mass communication was open to me much more than it had ever been in my studies at Wisconsin. Moreover, Dr. Barrow was—and continued to be until his passing away—an exceptional role model in my own leadership activities not only with AEJMC, but also with many other organizations and committees with which I’ve been involved. Lee was a gentleman who valued friendships and courtesy as a first and indispensable building block to establish important alliances for promoting positive change in AEJMC and other organizations. This lesson was instrumental for the success of my leadership as Head of MAC and then Chair of the Commission for the Status of Minorities, and I continue to apply it in my

current leadership roles in and outside of academia. From Lee I also learned the virtue of patience when expecting response to needed change, but at the same time the power of sustained perseverance when struggling to overcome injustice. Lastly, from Lee I learned the art of listening during negotiations for achieving strategic goals. Upon paying careful attention to alternative points of views, one can formulate the most accurate and powerful language needed to convince even a skeptical opponent of the core values of a just cause. There are many just causes for which Dr. Barrow was an advocate and still merit our attention and dedication. Now more than ever we should continue to forge ahead. May Dr. Barrow’s spirit guide and inspire us as we build on his legacy as a scholar, mentor and friend. Dr. Federico Subervi is Professor & Director, Center for the Study of Latino Media & Markets at Texas State University-San Marcos

Remembering LeeFormer CSM chair reflects on Barrow’s impactBy Federico Subervi

7THE STANDARD


E-mails began to fly after January 23 as word spread of the death of Dr. Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Friends sought to honor a man who packed a lot into 82 years of life. Barrow was a major force in inte-grating college and university commu-nication faculties, a former dean of the Howard University School of Commu-nications, a news reporter, advertising executive, Korean War veteran, jazz and poetry advocate, and a social ac-tivist inspired by his Morehouse Col-lege classmate, Martin Luther King. His style was low-key in spite of impressive achievements. In sum, his life offers lessons in quiet leadership. Here are three.

Lesson 1: Focus on a Worthwhile Goal

Academics spend a career build-ing a body of related research. Barrow built a body of civil rights work over the course of his career, with academ-ics as his main focus. His goal was the inclusion of more women and non-white educators in journalism and communication faculties.

Lesson 2: Bring Others Along

During a decade as dean at Howard and in the years that followed, Bar-row spent much of his time bringing others along to achieve his vision. He re-organized the program at Howard, adding an academic structure to the professional journalism emphasis. That raised the school’s stature within the university and set it on a path to

accreditation, which was achieved under his successor, Orlando Tay-lor. Barrow pushed for diversity at Howard, adding white faculty, includ-ing Barbara Hines, current AEJMC president. Hines noted that over the years AEJMC has named two schol-arships in Bar-row’s honor. Barrow made Howard a center for students and teachers at smaller historically black colleges through an annual Com-munications Conference funded by major news organizations. He had spent a decade in advertising, rising to vice president and associate director of research at Foote, Cone and Belding agency. He understood the importance of contacts. The conference raised aspirations and provided networking with top professionals. Barrow founded the Minorities and Communication Division of AEJMC to sustain the call for integration and to help new educators untangle requirements for successful university careers. He had earned master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin and he knew the ropes. As such, he championed the need for diverse faculty and led in preparing those who could fill the need. Barrow also brought along major white colleges and universities to hire and retain women and non-white fac-ulty. Although he spoke in a rich bass, he wasn’t one to shout. “Lee Barrow was an important voice in helping schools recognize the value of diversity,” said Suzanne

Shaw, executive director of the Ac-crediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. “He spoke in a kind, thoughtful and caring way. People listened and took very seriously what he said.”

Lesson 3: Be Persistent

During his tenure as dean at How-ard, Barrow founded a newsletter named, “Still Here.” Howard Professor Melbourne S. Cummings was associ-ate dean at the time. She said the name came from a Langston Hughes poem.That Hughes poem, “Life is Fine,” says in part:

“So since I’m still here livin’, I guess I will live on. “

The phrase, “Still Here,” aptly de-scribes Barrow’s steadfastness. During the Tampa memorial service one of his daughters described this quality as his “stubborn resoluteness.” He simply refused to be discouraged or give up. In his last months, he fought for the Barack Obama campaign. His wife, Dr. Frederica Barrow, said he refused pain medication so he could clearly view the Obama inauguration. He died three days later.

Dr. Karen Dunlap originally produced this article for the Poynter Institute’s Web site, Poynter.org where it was published February 20, 2009.

Poynter Institute reviews lessons of Lionel Barrowby Karen Dunlap President, Poynter Institute

8 THE STANDARD


Photos provided byDr. Frederica Barrow

9THE STANDARD


Lee’s Legacy AN ALBUM OF MEMORIES

TopAt 75, Dr. Barrow visited with his now late father, Lionel Barrow, Sr. (far left); Before pursuing his Ph.D., Barrow served in the army where he was stationed in Fort Lee, Va. (center). He never forgot those soldiers with whom he served. This reunion photo was taken after he moved into academe.

BottomLast summer at the 2008 AEJMC Convention in Chicago, Dr. Barrow made time to visit Harpo Studios. (left). He always made time for his family. On the occasion of his marriage to Dr. Frederica Barrow in 1992 at Howard University’s Rankin Chapel, this family photo was taken. (right)

10 THE STANDARD


Barrow Scholarship Recipients:THEN and NOW Editor’s Note: The following updates were produced, in part, from an article originally published in Spring 2009 Edition of CT&M Concepts, the newsletter of the AEJMC Communication, Theory and Methodology Division. A special thanks to Dr. Alex Ortiz (Texas Tech) for his additional research on the Barrow Minority Doctoral Student Scholarship recipients.

Then:2005 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Oklahoma

On Dr. Barrow:“He was kind, gracious, and urged me to not only finish the doctorate but to also apply for other minority scholarship and funding opportunities as well, which I did successfully. I am honored and encouraged to have interacted with Dr. Barrow.”

Now: Instructor of MarketingUniversity of Central Oklahoma

Jeanetta Sims Dhavan Shaw Then:1995 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Minnesota

On Dr. Barrow:“Dr. Barrow’s dedication to higher educa-tion, especially the advancement of minorities into the ranks of the professoriate, cannot be underesti-mated. All who strive toward these goals have lost a key ally, as have all those committed to theoretically sophisticated and methodologically advanced research on mass com-munication. “

Now: Professor & Head of Graduate StudiesUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

Troy EliasThen:2008 WinnerPh.D. Student The Ohio StateUniversity

On Dr. Barrow:To me, Dr. Bar-row represents a symbol of success and service. His life is evidence to me and hopefully to other young, aspiring, ethnic minorities that successful careers in the field of advertising and communication are possible. Moreover, his legacy of philanthro-py stands as an example for us all, regardless of our ethnic heritage. “

Now: Assistant Professor of Advertising University of Florida

Mia Moody Then:2002 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Texas at Austin

On Dr. Barrow:“I met Dr. Barrow three years ago and meeting him made a great impact on my life. I was struck by his selflessness and how down-to-

earth he was. He was an insightful person who be-lieved in giving back to the next generation. He was a dream maker and a dream giver. “

Now: Assistant Professor of Journalism Baylor University

Rita BroganThen:1974 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Washington

Now: Manager, PRR PR Firm(Offices in Seatt;e & Wash DC)

Omatayo Banjo Then:2006 WinnerPh.D. Student Pennsylvania StateUniversity

On Dr. Barrow:“I never had the chance to meet Dr. Barrow, but I’m grate-ful for his life. Being a Barrow Scholar gave me the assurance in my research that every graduate student needs to pursue and attain the PhD. “

Now: Asst. Professor of Communication University of Cincinnati

T. Kenn GaitherThen:2003 WinnerPh.D. Student University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

On Dr. Barrow:“Here was a man who illuminated the path for minority communications scholars and stood resolute in the face of a system bent on maintaining the sta-tus quo. We are all the beneficia-ries of his travails, and our respon-sibility is to uphold his vision while paving the way for others to have the opportunities he helped create.“

Now: Assistant Professor & Director of Communications FellowsElon University

11THE STANDARD


Barrow Scholarship Recipients:THEN and NOW Maria Len-Rios Then:2000 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Missouri

On Dr. Barrow:“As the 2000 scholarship re-cipient and the 2007 Barrow Scholarship Chair, I have benefited from Dr. Barrow’s vision and have seen how it has affected others. One thing I learned through working with Dr. Barrow is that it is one thing to say you believe in diversity among profes-sional ranks and quite another to make a commitment to support that diversity through your actions. “

Now: Assistant Professor ofStrategic CommunicationUniversity of Missouri

George DanielsThen:2001 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Georgia

Now: Associate Professor of Journalism The University of Alabama

Tony AtwaterThen:1982 WinnerPh.D. Student Michigan State University

Now: President,Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Jane RhodesThen:1989 WinnerPh.D. Student University of North Caro-lina-Chapel Hill

Now: Dean for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Professor and Chair of American StudiesMacalester College.Continued on p. 12

12 THE STANDARD


Diana Rios Then:1991 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Texas at Austin

Now: Associate ProfessorDepartment of Communication Sciences & Institute for Puerto Rican & Latino Studies University of Connecticut, Storrs

Qingwen Dong Then:1994 WinnerPh.D. Student Washington State University

Now: Associate Professor & ChairDepartment of CommunicationUniversity of the Pacific

William Berry Then:1973 WinnerPh.D. Student University of Illinois

Now: Associate Chancellor University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignAssociate Professor of Advertising & Latina/o Studies

Barrow Scholarship Recipients: THEN and NOW Continued from p. 10-11

by Sharon Bramlett-Soloman I don’t know anyone who has worked as long, hard and tirelessly, and with as many accomplishments, as Lee Barrow in advocating and creating inclusiveness in AEJMC and college journalism. Were it not for Dr. Barrow’s role in crusading to recruit, train, retain and advance faculty of color and women in journalism education, many of us might not be in the positions we hold today. When I served as chair of the Commission on the Status of Minorities from 2001 to 2003, Dr. Barrow served as vice head. From the moment I took on the CSM leadership, I constantly conferred with Dr. Bar-row on CSM matters because he was a thoughtful and remarkable visionary who always had a needed and workable CSM call to action plan. Working with Dr. Barrow always was an exhilarating pleasure, whether it was our CSM leadership service together or our participation on various AEJMC panels, committees and task forces. What I admired most about Dr. Barrow is that he “walked the talk” in his JMC service and that he didn’t waste precious time. Whatever AEJMC matters engaged his attention, you can bet he was off and run-ning. For example, in his first two days of succeeding me as CSM head, he drafted a diversity declaration,

took it before the AEJMC general body, and by unanimous vote successfully got the AEJMC membership to support a resolu-tion to “ignite the drive for AEJMC diversity.” This initiative led to a renewed AEJMC fervor and efforts to enhance diver-sity, and resulted as well, in creation of “Diversity Best Prac-tices” in college journalism recognition. This honor is now named The Lionel Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Educa-tion and is jointly sponsored by MAC and CSM. It recognizes outstanding individual accomplishment and leadership in pro-moting diversity. It will be hard attending an AEJMC conference without seeing Dr. Barrow’s smiling face, engaging in conversation with him or seeing him in paper and panel sessions of various AEJMC divisions and committees, particularly those involving MAC and CSM. Clearly we will miss him in Boston. However, as we remember and pay tribute to our friend and colleague’s long time service, his legacy and multitude of accomplishments, we need to go further. We must commit to building on what he achieved and pledge to keep the JMC diversity spirit that he engendered alive, vibrant and productive. An associate professor in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, Dr. Sharon Bramlett-Soloman was head of the AEJMC Minorities and Communication Division 1995-96. She received what is now the Barrow Minority Doctoral Student Scholarship in 1981.

Barrow’s CSM Predecessor: He “walked the talk”

13THE STANDARD


CT&M Leader credits Barrowfor advocacy, persistence by Douglas Blanks Hindman Dr. Barrow was a tireless advocate for diversity in scholastic journalism. Being an advocate for oppressed and underrepresented minorities re-quires courage, persistence, and skill. It takes courage to face resentment and backlash, polite indifference and benign neglect. It takes persistence to continue the struggle against the weight of the status quo. And it takes skill – to comfort those who are reminded daily of their minor-ity status, and to challenge those who are too comfortable with the way things are. Dr. Lionel C. Barrow, Jr.; advocate, scholar, leader, has left a profound legacy in journalism education and scholarship. Among Dr. Barrow’s many lasting legacies is the success and productiv-ity of the Barrow Scholarship winners. Their lives in teaching, scholarship, and service are a fitting tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Lionel C. Bar-row, Jr. Douglas Blanks Hindman is the 2008-2009 head of Communication Theory & Methodology (CT&M) Division, which is the lead sponsor of the Barrow Minority Doctoral Student Scholarship. The award is presented at the CT & M members’ meeting each year.

A University of Texas media scholar and broad-cast journalist has been chosen as the first recipient of the Lionel Barrow, Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education, an honor to be presented by both the Commission on the Status of Minorities (CSM) and the Minori-ties and Communication (MAC) Division. Paula Poindexter, an associate professor in UT’s School of Journalism, is to be recognized during the AEJMC Business Meeting on Friday, August 7, 10.00am to 12.00pm. A former head of the MAC Division herself, Poindexter, was named as the award recipient by a committee that included both the current head of the MAC Division, Sharon Stringer, and CSM Chair Hayg Oshagan. Also serving on the selection committee were a host of former leaders of both groups- Meta Castarphen, Carolyn Stroman, Clint Wilson, Felecia Jones-Ross and Federico Subervi. Poindexter is the lead editor for the 2007 volume, Women, Men and News: Divided and Disconnected in the News Media Landscape. Among other things, the volume addresses diversity issues among women’s use of news, considering racial, ethnic, international and feminist perspectives. At the University of Texas, Dr. Poindexter teaches graduate and under-graduate research design courses, emphasizing surveys and polling, content analysis, experiments, focus groups, data analysis, writing research, and oral presentations.

First recipient of new Barrow diversity award to be recognized at AEJMC business meeting

In addition to numerous groundbreaking journal articles, Paula Poindexter has also shared her insights on numerous television interviews, some of which can be found on YouTube. She was one of the few media scholars who appeared in CNN’s first “Black in America” documentary in 2008. On Friday, Aug. 7, Poindexter will receive the Lionel Barrow Award for Distingiuished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education.

by John Arnold

14 THE STANDARD


InHisOwn

WordsOver the years, Dr. Lee Barrow offered dozens of resolutions & writings to keep diversity in the forefront of the minds of those within AEJMC and society as a whole. Here’s a sample of some of those writings:

The opponents of Affirmative Action are hard at work. What this means to me is that the minority pool from which we draw our majors may well be shrinking. What this also means is that if we really are committed to diversifying our j/mc student bodies and through us the media, we have to intensify our own recruiting in the inner city high schools and in the community colleges where minorities are clustering. We with the help of the minority media organizations need to encourage these prospects to seriously think about journalism as a vocation, help them apply to our colleges, encourage them to work on our campus media, which as one recruiter has told me, too often are virtually lily-white bastions for fraternity and sorority members, and not let them get lost on our campuses once they arrive. “Still Here”Winter/Spring 2005TWELVE (Newsletter on the Commission on Status of Minorities)

The media have launched an increased effort at the high school level to provide training and give scholarships to students inter-ested in j/mc. Fine, but we need to encourage them to do the same at the two-year college level and among sophomores in our four-year schools. We also need to encourage the media to expand their contracts to minority schools that don’t have j/mc majors such as Morehouse (my undergraduate school) and Spelman (Wanda Lloyd, the pres-ent executive editor of the Mont-gomery Advertiser in Alabama, is a Spelman graduate) and, of course we need to do a better job of recruiting minorities into our j/mc programs and of encouraging women, who already constitute more than 50% of our undergradu-ate enrollments, to consider print media as a job.“Wanted: More Pro-Activity”TWELVESummer 2005Volume 13, Issue 3

In April 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr., and a number of his supporters were jailed in Bull Conner’s Birmingham, Alabama, for parading without a permit.

During the last AEJMC business meeting on August 6, 2004 in Toronto, I proposed a resolution asking that AEJMC urge the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications to change its rules for “reaccreditation so that no school or department that violates the same rule twice consecutively is granted full reaccreditation.” I did so because recent research had confirmed that the ACEJMC diversity standard was the one more often violated and that several programs had violated it several times. During the question-and-answer period following my presentation of the resolution, a former AEJMC representative to the Accrediting Council spoke in opposition to the resolution. She said the Council had considered such a change before but decided against it because it would do more harm than good because the visiting teams would be less likely to fail a school or de-partment if they know it would automatically trigger non-accreditation. The motion failed by almost a two-to-one margin. The next days as I was mulling the defeat, “Birmingham Jail” and the “more harm than good” rationale for opposing change popped into my mind. “Birmingham Jail”TWELVE, Fall 2005

15THE STANDARD

Aug. 7, 2008

Submitted by Curtis Lawrence, CSM secretary

The meeting was called to order by Chair Hayg Oshagan. The major order of business was a discussion about the future of the Commission on the Status of Minori-ties (CSM.) Hayg opened the discus-sion with the following thoughts:

* CSM is one of the few AEJMC entities with a political agenda and we should take advantage of that. * CSM should become more visible. * CSM needs an activist agenda.

Past Chair Felecia Ross informed that she is a member of the Profes-sional Freedom and Responsibility Committee (PF&R). She said the PF&R has suggested that CSM pres-ent a diversity award. (There was a consensus among the members present that we should work with PF&R on the award. Camilla Gant said that CSM should take the lead in a discussion within AEJMC on minority issues. Concern-ing the award, she said it should be focused on disenfranchised ethnic mi-norities in standing with CSM goals.

Others agreed that the Becker report was important and should be used in shaping an agenda. It also was sug-gested that CSM obtain a breakdown of participation by people of color

on panels along with other pertinent information. Felicia and Camilla both stated that it was important for CSM to define diversity before the award recipient was decided. Evonne Whitmore said that CSM needs to increase leadership positions on other boards. Hayg encouraged everyone to vote on the general directions of AEJMC at the membership meeting. Federico Subervi offered the following motion to be presented to the AEJMC board: “We request that someone within the office of AEJMC collect demo-graphic information on membership that will allow us to perform an annual assessment of diversity. This will include assessing the state of diversity and coordinating conference-wide diversity efforts.” There was a consensus from the members present that the above sentiment be conveyed to the AEJMC board. Hayg added that he would stress that CSM should be in charge of monitoring efforts and that we expect staffing assistance from AEJMC. It was also suggested by the membership that the CSM develop a list-serve.

The meeting adjourned at approxi-mately 11:45 p.m.

Minutes of Commission on Status of Minorities 2008 Members’ Meeting

Commission on theStatus of Minorities

2009MEMBERS’ MEETING

Thursday, August 68:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

(Following MACDivision Meeting)

Boston Sheraton

Commission on Status of Minorities

2007-2009 OFFICERS

CHAIRHayg OshaganWayne State University

VICE-CHAIRLinda Florence CallahanNorth Carolina A&T

SECRETARYCurtis LawrenceColumbia College-Chicago

NEWSLETTER CO-EDITORSGeorge L. DanielsUniversity of Alabama

John ArnoldDetroit, Mich.

Documents

The Standard- Summer 2009