When I set out to write my stories and document my journey in journalism, leadership and as an advocate for media diversity, one of my goals was to share my stories with young people, especially young women starting out in their careers, and also students who are aspiring communications professionals. I had the opportunity to do just that with a class of students at Baylor University in Texas.
I met Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez in the Scripps Howard Academic Leadership Academy at Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication, a week-long fellowship for professors to learn about academic leadership. At the time, I was a newbie as an academic leader after decades of newsroom leadership. After the program, Dr. Moody-Ramirez and I learned about some of our common ground — membership in some of the same service and professional organizations. So I was delighted when she invited me to share stories from my memoir, “COMING FULL CIRCLE: From Jim Crow to Journalism” with one of her classes.
With her permission, I’m sharing the following blog post after students in her Gender, Race and Media class at Baylor had a chance to blog about my presentation. Links to their blog posts and the class video are at the end.
Wanda Lloyd: Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism
Students learned what it’s like to come “Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism” from Wanda Lloyd, an author and public speaker who visited our gender, race and media class to share her journey as a Black woman in the world of journalism.
“Lloyd’s story inspired me to knock down walls and break through glass ceilings,” said Cody Soto. “But not in the way that she was originally talking about. While she faced the obstacle of being both an African-American editor and a woman, I have to face being a Hispanic man in the sport public relations field today. Different scenarios but similar obstacles.
”One of the things that drove Lloyd to excel was being told that she couldn’t become a journalist during an era when educated Black women usually became nurses or teachers.
“My grandmother said I don’t think a colored woman can become a journalist,” Lloyd said.
Even though a lot has changed since Lloyd began her career in journalism, she sees many parallels between the Civil Rights Movement and the current Black Lives Matter movement.
Samantha Dietzler noted in her blog entry: “At the forefront of both movements, she has seen young people, rallying together. However, she has noted that many more white people are protesting and women are more at the front.
”Lloyd’s advice for aspiring journalism students is to embrace the opportunities to learn a little bit of everything whether that’s editing, photography, or public relations.
“I am truly grateful for women like Lloyd that allow women and people of color to follow their passions,” Chantal Canales said. “Although the challenges Lloyd faced still occur in today’s newsrooms, I know that I and many others won’t stand for those injustices. Classes like Gender, Race and Media and women like Lloyd are setting the course for my future in journalism, and I am so thankful for them.
”Kailey Davis was equally inspired. She observed that throughout her career as an editor, and even as a professor, Lloyd faced many adversities.
“As a person of color and a woman, Lloyd was often overlooked and dismissed, but she didn’t let that silence her,” Davis said. “Being a young woman who has spent some time in the workforce, I was inspired to hear her talk about how she learned to be comfortable with her opinions and share them more freely.
”Lilly Price summarized the presentation well: “I really enjoyed getting to know Wanda, and hear about her career journey and bits of her new book ‘Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism.’ She’s a very inspiring person and she speaks with purpose and quiet dignity.”
Here is the link to the video from the class discussion: https://youtu.be/jT1HqM40y5U
Links to some of the students’ blogs:
https://www.capturedbychantal.com/post/wanda-lloyd-coming-full-circle
https://samanthadietzler.wixsite.com/mysite/post/jou-4305-wanda-lloyd
https://kaileydavis1.wixsite.com/portfolio/post/design-a-stunning-blog
https://lillyprice329449264.wordpress.com/2020/09/08/reflecting-on-wanda-lloyd/
https://codyrsoto.wordpress.com/2020/09/09/listening-learning-from-wanda-lloyd/
Wanda S. Lloyd 
Hi Wanda,
Hope all is well. Thanks for sharing your meeting with students at Baylor. What an opportunity, and such great feedback! I’ll be sharing this with my list. I got such good feedback from your presentation in August. But, I’m still upset that I didn’t arrange to have the presentation videotaped. All this technological is very new , and challenges me.
I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Busboys and Poets restaurants in the Washington area, but they are very popular here. The restaurant is also a bookstore, and provides space for poetry readings and authors to come and give presentations. (The food is also Very Good.) I believe there are now 6 of them in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. The one is Shirlington as I recall was either the 2nd or 3rd opened about 15 years ago, after the one in Washington. I think the one in Maryland is in Hyattsville.
Anyway, the reason I bring it up is, unless you are already aware, they have virtual interviews with noted authors and activists every Friday evening at 6:00pm. You have to register to watch the presentations. I’m going to forward the announcement and link for tomorrow’s interview with Rev. William Barber. Jackie and I, and other friends have logged in to some of them. Since May, Busboys and Poets, founder and owner, Andy Shalil, has interviewed such authors and activists as: Alice Walker, Lonnie Bunch, Angela Davis, Amy Goodman, Edwidge Danticat, Ibram X. Kendi, Michael Eric Dyson, Michael Moore, among others.
You also might want to check out the bookstore on the site. The majority of the books are focused on racism.
Thanks again for sharing. I’ll send the e-mail from Busboys and Poets now, so you can at least look at their website.
Give my love to ALL,
Ronnie
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