Black Witnessing, Smartphones, and the New Protest Journalism

Justice Matters

What is black witnessing, and how does it connect to movements for racial equity and justice? Can capturing a moment shape a movement? On this episode of Justice Matters, host Sushma Raman speaks with Dr. Allissa Richardson about the power of communication on social and racial justice. Dr. Richardson is an Associate Professor of Journalism at USC Annenberg School. She researches how African Americans use social and mobile media to produce innovative forms of journalism, especially in times of crisis. She’s the author of “Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones and the New Protest #Journalism,” which explores the lives of 15 journalist activists who have documented the Black Lives Matter movement using only their smartphones and Twitter. Dr. Richardson is a Carr Center Fellow for the coming academic year.