From our event’s announcements:
Read the letter from Margo Spann’s family and join those sending letters to the District Attorney regarding her death in a hit-and-run incident.
You are welcome to participate in the Poynter survey of journalists who’ve been laid off due to the pandemic.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As social tension, COVID-19, and microaggressions continue to impact Black media professionals in the workplace, it is important that we remember to prioritize our mental health.
NABJLA gathered a panel of experts and community organizers working in the wellness space for “Take Care: An Interactive Conversation on Managing Wellbeing On the Job” to create space to engage in conversation around mental health care, tips/techniques to employ in your day-to-day encounters with anxiety and stress, and so much more! Shar Jossell moderated the insightful discussion with WalkGoodLA Founder Etienne Maurice, Media Psychologist Corey Emmanuel and the Freelance Health Reporter and Editor Nadra Nittle.
PARTICIPANTS:
Shar Jossell (Moderator)
NABJLA, Entertainment Journalist
Shar Jossell is a media personality, journalist, and writer. She focuses on pop culture reporting and writes in the intersections of trans identities, race, and entertainment. Shar has previously served as a panelist on AfterbuzzTV & Black Hollywood Live, quickly becoming one of their most sought after personalities. She was named to Obvious Magazine's inaugural Visionaries list in 2020.
Shar has been featured on Buzzfeed, HuffPost, TMZ, Into, FOX Soul, That Grape Juice, and The Wrap--just to name a few. She's currently a rotating guest co-host on Channel Q Radio (Radio.com) and her show, the "Kiss & Tell Radio" podcast, available everywhere. Her bylines include ZORA, Bold Culture, & THEM.
Dr. Corey Emanuel
Men Talking Shift, Media Psychologist
Dr. Corey Emanuel is a Los Angeles-based writer-producer, media psychologist, and published children’s book author. He is the host of the digital series, Lend Me Your Lens, which has been featured in Black Enterprise magazine and the founder of the social movement, Men Talking Shift. Dr. Corey is an instructor at FYI-Films which teaches filmmaking to incarcerated teens. He also serves as a consultant for the Alliance of Leadership and Innovation for Victims of Exploitation (A.L.I.V.E.) which combats human trafficking in the Black community, and the Rodney King Foundation which is dedicated to ending police brutality and promoting social justice. Dr. Corey is passionately dedicated to using media and psychology to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire diverse audiences across the globe.
Etienne Maurice
WalkGoodLA Founder
Etienne Maurice is a Los Angeles native, born to a Jamaican-American mother and Afro-European father. Etienne is a film maker, actor and activist, who is dedicated to using his creative passions for social change. Etienne's mission is to build his community in the virtual and physical space through the arts, health, and wellness. Outraged by the injustices against Black and Brown people, he initiated @WalkGoodLA. Recognizing the need for community healing, Etienne joined forces with his sister, Ivy Coco, lifestyle influencer, and cousin, Marley Ralph, yogi master, to create #2wiceAsHard , #BreatheGood and#RunGood. WalkGoodLA is a devoted homage to hisJamaican heritage and grandmother, who always reminded him to "Walkgood," a Jamaican euphemism meaning good fortune, safe travels and be well.
Nadra Nittle
Freelance Health Reporter & Editor
Nadra Nittle is a Los Angeles-based journalist who has been a staff writer for Vox Media, Digital First Media, and the Gannett/USA Today network. She is currently a contributing editor and writer for California Health Report, a contributing writer for Verywell, and a senior reporter for Civil Eats. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Toni Morrison's Spiritual Vision, available Oct. 5 from Fortress Press, and editor of the book America's Mental Health Crisis.