Florida A&M University (FAMU) journalism graduate Yewande O. Addie is making issues of racial equity and justice in academia a key element of her research.
Addie is a doctoral student at the University of Florida (UF) College of Journalism and Communications (CJC). Addie and CJC associate professor of journalism, Bernell Tripp, are recipients of the ‘Research 2020: Advancing Racial Justice Through Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access at the University of Florida’ grant.
Their research proposal, “The Recruitment and Retention of Black Faculty at UF,” is one of 14 chosen from 45 applications to receive funding from the UF Racial Justice Research Fund. This fund is a $400,000 commitment by UF to support research and scholarship that will inform understanding of the Black experience, racial justice, diversity, equity and inclusion on campus and beyond.
A 2009 graduate of the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, Addie is scheduled to earn her Ph.D. this summer. She said her undergraduate experience helps inform her work.
“I’m a product of FAMU’s ‘Excellence with Caring,’ so I recognize the special, nurturing relationship that can exist between Black faculty members and Black students,” Addie said. “I also understand that part of that magic requires an inviting, supportive environment. This is what prompted me to investigate student and faculty experiences; to see if there are any patterns and ways where we can work to fill any gaps as a community.”
The grant includes $60,000 in funding for one year. Tripp will serve as one of the co-investigators, and Addie will coordinate faculty-student discussions.
Addie also is a co-principal investigator on a grant about Black student experiences titled Black Students Sharing Stories for an Equitable UF. The project, which also received $60,000 in funding, will gather, analyze and archive the personal narratives of a cross-section of Black students at UF to better understand opportunities and impediments to educational attainment and campus representation.
“These projects were most certainly informed by my time working in student media at the FAMUan and Journey Magazine,” said Addie, who served as editor in chief for both FAMU student publications. “That training ground helped cultivate my understanding of how powerful stories can be. I’m looking forward to hosting a virtual space for these stories to live and analyzing them for research insights.”
