Society of Student Journalists of Color founded at Western
New club aims to build community and solidarity among student journalists of color.
Story by Calvin Lowe
For many young journalism students at Western, writing and editing for the Western Front is their very first time working for a newspaper. It can feel almost like a simulation, bouncing between sitting in a lecture hall, interviewing sources and communicating with editors on a daily basis. The Western Front tells the stories of the many living, breathing communities on Western’s campus, and like any long-standing news organizations, there is always room for improvement.
Ray Garcia and Julia Berkman are veterans of the Front, both having worked at the newspaper for four quarters before moving onto other on-campus publications. As they moved up the ranks of the Front, the two news/editorial majors noticed that they were the only people of color on the editorial staff, and were often asked to act as sensitivity readers and correspondents on race by their white colleagues.
Eventually, Berkman thought, “What if there was a community space [for people of color].”
So, Garcia and Berkman founded the Society for Student Journalists of Color during the spring quarter of 2019. Their first order of business: to start building community and solidarity among student journalists of color. Berkman said currently, the journalism department has no professors of color, leaving some students feeling like they don’t have a mentor they can go to for support.
“I felt like students of color need role models,” Berkman said. “At an institution like Western, they need more check-ins than white students.”
During their weekly on-campus meetings, members have the opportunity to discuss their experiences as students journalist of color at Western, current events, class and anything else they want to discuss with the group.
The club also aims to fundraise so students of color can attend events and connect with professional journalists of color. Last July, members attended the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting convention hosted by The Seattle Times.
Berkman said in addition to meeting professional journalists, they learned about the similarities of working in the field of journalism and working for the Western Front.
“I felt like I learned about the real world,” Berkman said. “Being a sensitivity reader and dealing with ‘additional duties’— it doesn’t end at Western.”
In the future, Berkman would like members of the club to attend more conventions, as well as work with Western’s journalism department on compiling more internship opportunities.
“In the long-term, I would like the club to be a resource for [the] Western Front,” Berkman said.
Berkman would also like to have alumni visit the club so members of the club could ask the guests questions, gain knowledge and connections.
“[We are] hungry for representation and opportunity,” Berkman said.