Hello Kim,
Students in our doctoral seminar “Critical Research Methods” read the Kerner Report (and other texts) in preparation for conducting critical ethnographic research in 4 DC neighborhoods. They were very moved by the radical findings of the
report and its continued relevance. One of the students in the class was a panelist on a community-sponsored Kerner Commission panel (which I helped organize) last week end, and she was excellent. I think our students would like to be involved in a session
if one is organized.
Carolyn
Dr. Carolyn M. Byerly
Professor and Chair
Department of Communication, Culture & Media Studies
Cathy Hughes School of Communications, Howard University
525 Bryant Street, NW, Room C-248
Washington, DC 20059, USA
Phones:
202.806.5121 (Office)
240.821.2859 (Cell)
http://communications.howard.edu/faculty/carolyn-m-byerly-ph-d/
www.howardmediagroup.org
From: FOR THE MINORITIES AND COMMUNICATION DIV. OF AEJMC [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Pearson, Kim
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2018 11:09 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: 50th Anniversary of Kerner
Students in my Race, Gender and the News class have been spending the semester studying our local community, Trenton, New Jersey in 1968. Part of that has included looking at press coverage of the community
at that time to see evidence of the Kerner Commission's critique. As is true of many urban areas at the time, there was an outbreak of violence and looting on the day of Dr. King's funeral that locals refer to as the Trenton riots. Many white old timers in
particular will say that is when Trenton died. It's also when a police officer fatally shot a black college sophomore in the back of his head as he tried to convince people to go home. He was on the Mayor's Teen Council and had plans to go into the ministry,
but the initial stories labeled him a looter and headlines referred to "snarling Negro looters." The Governor shut down any investigation of the circumstances. My students were shocked at the coverage, by the government response, and by the overall conditions
in the community at the time.
I should mention that while most of my students are from New Jersey, there are only four students of color in a class of 19, and only four or five live in Trenton or a near suburb.
I would love to know what others are doing in their classrooms.
Kim Pearson
Associate Professor
Journalism and Professional Writing
The College of New Jersey
@professorkim
Google Voice: 215-253-8624
On Thu, Mar 29, 2018 at 10:27 AM, Collins, Janice Marie <[log in to unmask]> wrote: