Anita --

Before I received your email I had made a note to myself to submit the same panel idea titled:  “New Weapons in the Fight for Social Justice:  Cyber-Protesting in the Jena Six Case.”

Definitely we need to have a panel or round table discussion on this topic.  When I asked students in my Race, Gender & Media class last month who had heard of the Jena Six only the five black students in the class of 40 knew about the case (four from internet sources and  one from CNN.  No one had seen it in the largest local paper (The Arizona Republic).

  NPR had a good discussion last Thurs. on the blogging, podcasting,  emailing, and internet news dissemination in the case, including background on the school incident,  charges the Black  students face and cyber civil rights movement.

Would happily assist with facilitating this panel in any way, including presenting  on the topic.

Best,

Sharon


On 9/23/07 12:37 PM, "Anita Rife" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I have been thinking about the utility of the internet as a tool for mobilizing the students who demonstrated on behalf of the Jenna--6, as I am sure that you have been.  In fact, it is my thinking that this effort may have sparked the beginning of a 21st century civil rights movement.  If you recall, and you probably don’t given that I am the ancient one among you {smile), the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s depended upon the traditional media for its momentum, but here we are now with a grass roots movement fueled by the new media and to some extent, the convergence of the old and the new—radio and internet. I thought of you four, but there may be others who may want to participate on a panel that addresses this exciting new development.  Please let me know if you’re interested and what aspects of this topic you’re most interested in pursing for a MAC panel proposal at AEJ-Chicago.  Diana, we may want to broaden the panel idea that we talked about to cover this—or maybe treat it as a separate panel. Let me know what you’re thinking on this.
 
BTW, I also thought of Will Sutton, but I can’t find an e-mail address for him at Hampton.  If anyone knows his address, please forward this on to him.  
 
 
Thanks,
 
Anita Fleming-Rife



Sharon Bramlett-Solomon, Ph.D.
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ  85287-1305
Office:  480  965-3678    Fax: 480  965-7041
Email:  [log in to unmask]

I will look to the hills from whence cometh my help...