15 December 2011

Revisiting Race at Emerson College

taliawhyte WGBH college, diversity, Emerson College, Lee Pelton, race relations, racism

I recently had a chance to go back to my alma mater Emerson College to speak to some current students of color about the state of race relations on campus. The four students in the video are executive board members of Emerson’s Black Organization with Natural Interests (EBONI). In recent years, the school has been plagued with accusations of subtle racism and lacking racial diversity among its faculty and student body.

A couple of years ago, two black professors accused Emerson of denying them tenure because of their race. Up until that time, Emerson College had only granted tenure to just three black professors in its 129-year history. There have also been many claims by students of color over the years that they didn’t feel welcomed by their white counterparts on campus.

Watch the video here

7 December 2011

Library 2.0: Supporting Underserved Communities

taliawhyte Global Wire Associates American Library Association, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, digital divide, Digital Public Library of America, economic disparities, public library, rural libraries, urban libraries

With the advent of e-books, audio books, Kindles and other devices that make the art of reading a digital experience, many wonder with the declining number of bookstores, what will happen to public libraries. For those of us who are lucky to live in places where a library exists, they are not only spaces to read and lend out books, but they also act as community meeting spaces.

However, the increase in digital media has also been compounded with the current economic downturn, which has contributed to the budget cuts and closings of many public libraries around the United States. Even more unfortunate is that many of these endangered public libraries are serving marginalized populations in rural and inner city areas.

Read the full article here

3 November 2011

Black Activism: Yesterday & Today

taliawhyte WGBH African Americans, black acitivism, Madison Park Development Corporation, Occupy Boston, Occupy the Hood, Occupy the Hood Boston, Occupy Wall Street, protests

State Rep. Byron Rushing joined local community activists at Hibernian Hall Oct. 19 to discuss the history of the 45-year-old Madison Park Development Corporation, as well as highlight the roots of black activism in Boston. It was an enlightening conversation among elder activists that showed that change is possible when all people organize as one around a common agenda and goal.

So it was interesting when Occupy Boston activist Brian Kwoba got up during the discussion to ask the panelists what tips the current Occupy Movement could take away. Panelist and Dudley Main Streets executive director Joyce Stanley said that unlike the Roxbury activists of the 1960s who organized around not allowing the I-95 to be built in the community, the Occupy Wall Street movement doesn’t have a clear agenda nor has it made any specific goals for their protest.

“If you don’t have clear goals when you are organizing a movement, eventually people start to lose interest in what you are protesting about,” Stanley said.

Watch the video here

28 October 2011

#Occupy Mobile Journalism

taliawhyte NABJ Digital backpack journalism, corporate greed, digital media, mobile journalism, Occupy Boston, Occupy Wall Street, technology

NABJ Digital

By Talia Whyte

For the last few weeks, the Occupy Wall Street movement has taken over the headlines worldwide and put the future of the global economy up for discussion. Based on the quickness this movement has grown in such a short amount of time, there are clearly strong feelings out there among the general population about the current financial system.

As a freelance journalist I not only find this to be a monumental moment in recent history, but it is also a great opportunity to practice mobile journalism. As technology and digital tools to capture information on the go becomes more common, many reporters are spending more time on the ground, filing stories online and interacting with followers on their social networks.

Read the full article here