Debut Of Student Podcast Calls Attention To Black And Latino Solidarity And Representation In Media
By Carolann Lowe
There’s a new podcast talk show series on campus hosted by members of the Black and Latino Male Initiative.
Every week the show, called “The Initiative,” covers a different social issue that affects students of color in higher education. Different experts and professors that relate to the topic come in each week.
Director and Executive Producer of BLMI, David Wells, told WBCR that the idea of the BLMI podcast talk show series unfolded after he took witness to a discussion between two BLMI film students about media coverage of Latino and black people. Following their discussion, Wells asked the students what they will do to change the perceptions of Latinos and blacks in media. The students answered that they hoped to create change in black and Latino media coverage through their education as film students.
“I was like alright what we need to do is start a podcast because in my role I initially was going to start a podcast personally, but for me it’s always about students and having students lead initiatives,” he said.
As the director, Wells holds true to the idea of BLMI as an academic support program, and therefore prioritizes the responsibility of making a connection between education and the topics covered on the talk show series.
“If it’s affecting the black and Latino population, students of color in general in society bring that effect on campus as well.” he said.
The podcast talk show series are hosted by Xavier “Ocho” George and Darian “Eagle” Jobity. Xavier George is a BC TV/Radio student and Music Director at WBCR. Darian Jobity is a BC film student and Marine Corps veteran.
“When I came back home I went to film schools and I wasn’t surrounded by people who looked like me,” said Jobity. “BLMI was such a great opportunity to be around people like me, who are educated and learn from them and their experiences here at college.”
The host aspires for viewers and listeners of the “The Initiative” to experience the same sense of belonging and enlightenment that being apart of the show has had on him.
“We also talk about black solidarity, which is again, something I never knew about. I learned about it just being in the podcast. … So just diving into my culture learning more about my people that I didn’t know … that’s what I hope people get from watching this show.” said Jobity.
The show is fully run by Brooklyn College students from hosting to editing, and filming. Many of the talk show discussions are planned in advance, while others derive from conversation that arise during panel discussions. Their future episodes will further delve into the aspects of black solidarity such as black empowerment, education, and representation in the media.
WBCR went behind the scenes of one of their upcoming episodes which focused on the topic of Black Solidarity Day. BLMI’s black solidarity episode features Khari Russell, the son of Black Solidarity Day founder Carlos E. Russell. The panel also included BC Assistant Sociology Professor Lawrence Johnson. The panelists discussed the political reality of blackness and the necessity for blacks to unify with intentions of engaging the economic system in ways that are beneficial to the black community. They also spoke of ways in which blacks can implement unification on a regular basis instead of just one day out of the year. The focus of misrepresentation of blacks within the political sphere was also a hot topic for discussion.
The first episode of the BLMI talk show series is expected to broadcast on November 4, and you can find more information about the club on their Instagram @bc_blmi.