Allied Media Conference

Presenters: Andrea Ritchie, INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence; Moya Bailey, Be Bold Be Brave Be Red; Jesse Muhammad, The Final Call Newspaper; Jordan Flaherty, Left Turn Magazine
Moderator: Brownfemipower

How did the story of the Jena Six spark mobilizations that came to be called "a 21st century civil rights movement" in the media? How did the 7 young black lesbians who were attacked in the West Village of NYC in 2006 come to be called a "wolf pack of lesbians" in the media, resulting the imprisonment of 4 of them? This panel will feature the journalists, bloggers and grassroots activists who helped bring both of these stories to national attention. We will breakdown the process by which progressive media institutions fueled mass mobilizations in support of the Jena Six, and also offer an analysis of how and why such mobilizations did not occur in support of the New Jersey 4. We will look at the strategies developed by Women of Color Bloggers to raise national awareness of the New Jersey 4 without the backing of most progressive media outlets. Finally, we will explore what both of these cases have to teach us about the kind of media movement we need for the future.