COM will host Black Media: Pioneers Then and Now, an all-day symposium celebrating “Black media professionals and their innovative and important work in the journalism, PR, marketing, advertising, and film industries,” this Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Howard Thurman Center.

This year’s speakers are some of the media landscape’s most prominent Black experts in the field, along with younger professionals who can “speak to the experience of students,” according to COM Meeting and Events Coordinator Sarah Kess. 

“The fact that we’ve been able to continue putting these events on speaks to their importance. There are not many other events that focus specifically on Black professionals across media disciplines, from journalism to film to advertising,” said Kess. “This event hopefully shows students of color what is possible.”

The schedule for Black Media: Pioneers Then and Now features panels exploring the state of Black storytelling in film and TV, reporting on race, and advertising for Black-owned media companies, among many others.

Among the panelists is Dorothy Butler Gilliam, mother of BU President Melissa Gilliam. Dorothy Gilliam is well known as The Washington Post’s first African American female journalist who began her journalism career in 1957, reporting on the Little Rock Nine.

Attendees will hear from seasoned professionals like Jeffrey Bowman, Reframe CEO and former executive at Ogilvy and Mather, and Bernadette Morris, CEO of Black PR Wire and Sonshine Communications, a public relations, marketing and ad agency. Other speakers include Reuters Global Race and Justice Editor Kat Stafford and Lisa Peters, a Physical Production Executive at Netflix.

“The panels cover topics that are important for every media professional to be thinking about,” said Kess. “These topics aren’t just the concern of Black media professionals, but should be the concern of any student or professional who is invested in creating a more diverse and equitable media industry.”

General public tickets are available for purchase via a registration link, and BU students and faculty receive free admission.