A Room for Ourselves: Continuing Gwen Ifill’s Legacy Through Mentorship
By: Juanita Islas, Program Manager, IWMF
There was a buzz in the room when seventeen women journalists from underrepresented backgrounds from across the United States gathered to attend the inaugural kick-off event for the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Gwen Ifill Mentorship Program last year. This program celebrates Gwen’s legacy and dedication to uplifting and mentoring early career women journalists of color.
During the event, there was an inspiring and heartwarming energy in the air. Up to this point, I had led countless spaces for women journalists through reporting trips and security trainings, but this one felt different. It felt personal.
One of our fellows shared, “I’ve never been in a room with so many [women] journalists of color! The knowledge that I was given by these women helped me to understand what is feasible for me to do.”
In 2019, the IWMF established a mentorship program in honor of Gwen Ifill, who was a trailblazing journalist and legendary co-anchor of The PBS NewsHour. She was equally famous for her tireless mentoring and support of women journalists of color. As the program manager, I was there to launch the program.
I was joined by the Founder and Project Director of Next Generation Radio, Doug Mitchell who guided the creation of the program and the program’s leadership team: Athelia Knight, Emma Carew Grovum, Juleyka Lantigua Williams, P. Kim Bui; and special guests, IWMF Board Member Suzanne Malveaux, Bloomberg’s Karen Toulon, Director for the Culture at Glow Up Games Latoya Peterson and Vice President and Senior Director at the American Press Institute Amy Kovac-Ashley. All journalism giants dedicated to helping journalists navigate their careers and who have pushed to diversify the media industry.
We built this program to address the lack of diversity and gender equity in leadership positions across newsrooms. We want each fellow to walk away with a strong peer network and the skills to navigate a complex media environment. The program establishes the groundwork for their success and future leadership in the news industry. The outcome is personal for me; I have been in their shoes before. As a first-generation Latina, meeting this group of talented, passionate, committed and diverse women journalists gave me hope for what the journalism landscape will look like in the future
There is a lot of work to be done. Journalism continues to be a white, male-dominated profession, especially at the most senior levels. According to the 2018 ASNE Newsroom Diversity Survey, women of color represent approximately 6% of newsrooms. This includes Black, Latinx, Native Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders. Whereas white women represent 32.82% and white men represent 53.65%.
So, what does this mean exactly? I asked our first-year mentors to tell us why it is important to support the next generation of women journalists of color.
Here’s what a few had to say:
“For a host of reasons, journalism is largely led by white men and women from upper middle class and affluent backgrounds. They tend to view power from the perspective of people who have it. That leaves most Americans out of their vision, or at the periphery. WOC are more likely to be or be close to those who are hurt when powerful people are corrupt, incompetent or thoughtless. We know from personal experience the potential harm that comes when laws are ignored or unevenly enforced. WOC are also more likely to understand the experience of having our rights denied, challenged or taken away. As a child, my mom attended segregated schools, had to enter restaurants from the back door, and had to sit in the balcony in movie theaters. This was in Washington, D.C., our Nation’s Capital. I’m acutely aware that people fought and died for my rights — not in some distant past — but in a past that I know through the memories of people I love. And many non-black WOC have direct experience of having their value and their place in America being questioned. They know how to fight against lies because they’ve probably been fighting the lie that they’re not ‘real’ Americans all their lives.”
– Alicia Montgomery
“I got into journalism as a result of the movement to diversify journalism. I say that intentionally and apply that to my career intentionally. This wasn’t an accident. I was part of a movement born out of the Civil Rights Movement and, more specifically, the 1968 Kerner Commission Report recommendation to change newsrooms as we know them so that we could change journalism as we know it. When I was 16, and was a Dow Jones intern, I spent two weeks in a workshop structured around helping you figure out how you’re going to be a part of this change we need to see in media. Twenty-five years later we still are contending with a lot of the same issues; we are not telling the story from the perspectives of all our audiences. So, I feel a twin obligation to invest in the next generation.”
– Mitra Kalita
After the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, there were a number of controversial headlines that led to a reckoning in the journalism industry. There were walkouts and open letters written by journalists of color concerned with the lack of representation in their newsrooms and within leadership.
Our vision is to see a diversity of voices, stories and perspectives represented in the news media.
When deciding on the structure of the Gwen Ifill Mentorship Program, we wanted the fellows to help shape the program and ensure we were focusing on their needs. We do this in two ways. First, we customize a series of monthly trainings, on subjects such as salary negotiations to provide the skills mentees need to succeed. From the first cohort, five fellows saw new career opportunities or promotions after the first four months of the program and majority of the fellows indicated they had acquired new skills or knowledge. Secondly, we work to build a trusting and supporting community where they can share their experiences. From the first cohort, 76% of the fellows believed that being part of the IWMF community provided them with a safe space and 82% benefitted from the networking opportunities.
From personal experience, I know the importance of finding others who have come before you and who can share their experiences as you build your own path. I am first generation so growing up, I didn’t have access to professional networks to whom I can ask questions. However, I was fortunate to find diversity-oriented organizations and networks along the way that have contributed to my own professional growth. I feel fortunate to now be in a position where I can contribute to the work others have done to diversify the media industry and facilitate access to senior media professionals for our fellows.
Women of color face additional challenges when navigating the news industry and advocating for themselves — we know this. It is important that the mentors in our program can speak to potential roadblocks our fellows could face from their lived experiences and offer their guidance. Hearing from those in leadership positions can make all the difference for early career journalists. We learned at the kick-off event that it’s rare to be in a room with majority BIWOC in journalism. We are proud to have created that room.
It is inexcusable to have women of color represent only 6% of newsrooms. Leaders who reach back to propel other women up the ladder of success are sorely needed. The mentorship program helps fellows be better prepared to navigate the current media industry. Our hope is that the fellows contribute to the work of diversifying newsrooms across the United States. It is imperative to have more women journalists of color in leadership positions. This will create a chain reaction leading to a future where consumers will have a balanced news analysis, read stories that often go underreported and challenge old narratives of our communities that repeatedly misrepresent us or it accepted.
