Throughout the school year my school, Howard University's School of Communications will be celebrating its 40 year anniversary with a series of events. One of which was a book singing with author and advertising Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Burrell. His new book, "Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority," Burrell raises questions about the phycological "propaganda" that keeps many Black people still thinking and behaving like slaves. Burrell spoke to a small gathering of students, faculty and guests about the responsibilities of blacks and whites both to heal the damage of slavery, discrimination and racism. His intelligence and wit captivated the audience.
After the lecture Burrell participated in a question and answer session with the guests mediated by Jannette Dates, the Dean of the School of Communications. Most praised him for his bold critique of society and purchased several copies of the text. Burrell ended the session by speaking to and signing the books of all those that purchased them.
Later in the day, Shirley Sherrod, a civil rights activist and victim of unethical journalism, spoke in the moot court room in the School of Law. Sherrod was working of the Department of Agriculture when she forced to resign after a blogger posted a video of her speaking at NAACP luncheon that he had altered. Sherrod told the audience of the whole ugly ordeal from start to finish, including why she didn't take her job back. She said that everyone involved was so quick to say something negative. That's was why no one stopped to check if that was right tape. She said she still felt that, "it's still my job to help as many people as I can... We need to learn how to exist together or else another Shirley Sherrod will pop up somewhere." Following her speech there was a reception and Mrs. Sherrod took time to talk to attendees and also take pictures.
I really enjoyed attending both events. It felt like I was getting to participate in a piece of history. However, I covered the events as a photojournalist this time so my stories as they usually are. Their just a compilation of what I noticed while I was moving around taking pictures. My camera is old so I had some lighting issues in the beginning and a lot of my pictures came out fuzzy but you can view all my good pictures on my new picasa.
Dilane's Picasa
What is your take on Mrs. Sherrod's story? Do you think that the blogger or the journalists are at fault? How would you have handled the situation if you were Sherrod?
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