OCTOBER 18, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Breakthrough Stories Break Down Barriers Last weekend, I traveled to Washington, D.C., to join filmmakers Byron Hurt and Natalie Bullock Brown at the Double Exposure Film Festival, where their newest film, Hazing, was on the slate. Though Hazing includes Hurt’s personal experiences with the harmful rituals, the film also includes …
OCTOBER 11, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz How Black is the Future of Public Media? Contemplating the future of public media is an evergreen activity among people in my position. We’re always trying to figure out what type of content public media audiences need and want, and then how best …
OCTOBER 5, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz New ‘Be Heard’ Campaign Addresses Gender Pronouns BPM Celebrates LGBT History Month with New Shorts Series on Gender Affirmation The National Transgender Discrimination Survey reports that Black transgender and gender nonconforming people face some of the highest levels of discrimination. From their experiences …
SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz We’re in Good Hands I’ve worked in the nonprofit world for most of my adult life. So, I know how fortunate I am to have a board of directors who genuinely get Black Public Media’s mission, are generous with their time and talents, …
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz BPM Salutes Afro Latinx Media Makers Recently, a rideshare driver regaled me with the story of how he met his wife. She, a native of Mexico, met him while he, an African American from New Orleans, was on leave from the U.S. Navy. …
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz The Road to Climate Justice Begins with Powerful Stories .The headlines are daunting: “Racism is Magnifying the Deadly Impact of Rising Heat” (Nature), “Poor Neighborhoods Bear the Brunt of Extreme Heat“ (LA Times), “Black Americans are Drowning Because of Climate Change” (The Black …
September 6, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz It’s Time to Prioritize the Hazing Problem This summer, I spent a week visiting college campuses on the West Coast with my youngest child — a rising high school senior. Among the schools we visited was my alma mater, UC Berkeley. Trudging up …
AUGUST 16, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Biyi Bandele/photo from Instagram Otu Njama/photo from Facebook BPM Mourns the Loss of Two Nollywood Filmmakers Black Public Media joins our colleagues across the African diaspora in mourning the loss of two prominent Nollywood filmmakers last week. The sudden death of Biyi Bandele …
August 2, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Blueberry Photo by Cheryl D. Fields Sweet Summer! The BPM Family is Hot, Hot, Hot! I spent the last weekend in July at a family reunion in Washington, D.C. Watching four generations of my relatives interact with each other — smiling, laughing and celebrating our …
JULY 26, 2022 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz The Importance of Black Women Mentoring Black Women Mable Haddock (left) with Leslie Fields-Cruz My vision and my idea was always to share the achievements and contributions and beauty and talent and artistry of Black people with the world. … To help to …