NAMIC Revitalizes its Mid-Atlantic Chapter with New Leadership and Events

by Nona Ogunsula

Daryl Jackson, Chapter Ops Mgr, NAMIC National; 
Sangeetha Subramanian, President and Sonarak Ieng, Vice-President, NAMIC Mid-Atlantic

Realizing that the time is now to ensure that minorities and women are visible and given opportunities to succeed, the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and its new leaders for the Mid-Atlantic chapter, based in the Washington, D.C. area, are energetic and excited about the year of upcoming events. “The mission of NAMIC is to empower, educate, and advocate for multi-ethnic diversity in media and entertainment. So this is truly important for every market, but specifically [Washington, D.C.] with all that’s going on here,” stated Darryl Jackson who is the Manager for Mentoring Relations and Chapter Operations for NAMIC which is headquartered in New York City. He went on to say, “to be diverse both in front of the camera and behind the camera is of utmost importance. So, visibility is key”.

NAMIC Mid-Atlantic has a new slate of officers who are injecting new energy in the chapter with events and activities designed to help make real change through community and professional development. “In my experience, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion can be an uphill battle. NAMIC has helped me reduce that sense of isolation and I hope to bring that same sense of like-minded community to all of our members” said Sangeetha Subramanian, new President of the Mid-Atlantic chapter.

On Thursday, 2/8/2018, NAMIC held its Kick-Off Mixer and first event of 2018 at SiriusXM’s location in northwest Washington, D.C. Walter B. Sanderson, III, Vice President, HR

Walter B. Sanderson, Vice President

and Diversity Officer, SiriusXM

Business Partner and Diversity Officer for SiriusXM, hosted the event and expressed, “It’s a real pleasure to have NAMIC Mid-Atlantic back in our facility again. We’re happy to host the organization. We want to make sure everybody takes a moment to look at employment opportunities here. We are kind of a stealth employer in that everybody knows our brand, but they don’t always think of us as a place to work. So we use this as an opportunity to introduce people to work here at SiriusXM.” The company with more than 32 million subscribers creates programming and offers commercial-free music, premier sports and live events, news and comedy, exclusive talk and entertainment, and a wide variety of Latin commercial-free programming. It also offers online streaming of its programming so its services are not tied to just your car. You can access the services via computer in your office or home, and via your smartphone. They employ individuals in a variety of roles that include On-Air Talent, Producer, marketing, creative, finance and technical positions.

A variety of individuals ranging from employers to creatives and technical professionals, freelancers, educators, and even actors attended the event which included a reception and ample time for networking. According to a 2017 Payscale article, “At least 70 percent of job openings aren’t even listed. The vast [majority] of hiring is friends and acquaintances hiring other trusted friends and acquaintances.”[i] The Mid-Atlantic chapter promotes networking and provides an environment where professionals in the communications and media/entertainment industries can have fun while getting to know each other.

In addition to traditional calendar events, NAMIC Mid-Atlantic also has a pop-up series to stay relevant with recent social trends. Their first pop-up event was a fun and cozy social in November 2017 at the Cloak and Dagger Bar in Northwest Washington, D.C. The next pop-up just announced is a screening of Black Panther at the historic Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park.

Chapter leaders, Sangeetha Subramanian and Sonarak Ieng, have a lot planned for 2018 and encourage everyone to get involved. There will also be unique opportunities to get to know people through volunteering. And most importantly there will be educational and career development opportunities, panels, and other diversity-related programming. So, stay tuned for upcoming events and stay connected to NAMIC Mid-Atlantic via social media. You can follow the local chapter at @NAMICMidA on Twitter, https://www.linkedin.com/company/namic-mid-atlantic on LinkedIn and NAMIC.MidAtlantic on Facebook. Follow the national organization at @NAMICNational on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

To see more pictures from the Kick-Off event, click here.

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Nona Ogunsula is a seasoned marketing professional with over 25 years of experience in marketing, creating and executing digital/social media campaigns, developing health promotion programs and managing projects and programs in the private and public sector. Over 10 of those years were spent in sales and marketing positions at AT&T. As the Principal Creative Officer of Liberty Ink Productions, she provides marketing, consulting, social/digital media and production services to businesses and non-profit organizations. Since 2011, she has been providing a leadership and empowerment platform specifically for women at womenatliberty.com

References: 

[i] Belli, Gina, “How Many Jobs Are Found Through Networking, Really?”, Payscale.com, April 2017

Confidence over Insecurity

Don't project your insecurities onto someone else. Maybe it's not that they think they are too this or that, it's that you're uncomfortable with who they are and what they represent.

I saw a television show this weekend where a group of women attacked and disliked another woman because her aproach to life and values were different than theirs. "She thinks she's too good for us. She's too quiet. She doesn't hang out with us all the time. She's a goody two-shoes." They felt this way because she did not like the same things they liked. She expressed opinions that were different from the group's opinions. So, naturally she became a target.

As adults and women, we have to be careful that we don't go through life constantly playing middle school games. Let people be who they are. That's a sign of maturity. If you are uncomfortable with who they are, check yourself first. Have the courage to do this as an individual away from the group. It maybe that her example will help you find the confidence to be more of who you really want to be rather than always fitting into the questionable expectations of the group.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Women And The Media--Miss Representation?

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Gloria Steinem said in a New York Times article that, "it's hard to think of anything except air, food and water that is more important than the media". Given the importance of the media, what do you believe that the images of women we see on television and in film are telling us about the value and worth of women in our society?

Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence of the 14th District of Michigan recently hosted a forum at the Congressional Black Caucus' 45th Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. to discuss this topic. Entitled "Miss Representation: How Women Are Portrayed In The Media" (based on a documentary by Jennifer Siebel Newsom), panelists from the national and local media as well as women from national advocacy groups and public relations professionals led a discussion that helped the audience understand their power to change how women are currently being portrayed in the media.

Today's Leadership Tuesdays features a video commentary and interviews from the seminar as well as an excerpt from actress Viola Davis' acceptance speech at the 67th Emmy Awards where she made history by winning Best Actress In A Lead Role In A Drama Series.

Check out the video and leave a comment.
   

 

 

For more information about Leadership Tuesdays, go to WOMEN AT LIBERTY. To view the trailer from the documentary, click Miss Representation.

Leadership Tuesdays: The Numbers Do Not Lie..Mellody Hobson

"Now race is one of those topics in America that makes people extraordinarily uncomfortable. You bring it up at a dinner party or in a workplace environment, it is literally the conversational equivalent of touching the third rail. There is shock followed by a long silence.

Now, I know that there are people out there who'll say that the election of Barack Obama meant that it was the end of racial discrimination for all eternity, right? But I work in the investment business and we have a saying, 'the numbers do not lie.' ...There is significant quantifiable racial disparities that can not be ignored in household wealth, household income, job opportunities, health care. I [talk] about this issue of racial discrimination because I believe that it threatens to rob another generation of all the opportunities that all of us want for all of our children no matter what their color or where they come from. And I think it threatens to hold back businesses.

So, I think it's time for us to be comfortable with the uncomfortable conversation about race. Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, male, female, all of us. If we truly believe in equal rights and equal opportunity in America, I think we have to have real conversations about this issue. We can not afford to be color blind. We have to be color brave."*

-Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments; Chairman of the Board, DreamWorks Animation SKG
*This quote is an excerpt from a TED Talk Mellody Hoboson gave on March 20, 2014

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today's Leadership Tuesdays' post is a courageous talk on race given by Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments, at a TED Conference in March of 2014. Her eloquent discourse regarding an experience she had in 2006 of being mistaken for the "kitchen help" when she showed up with then Congressman Harold Ford (D-Tennessee) for a lunch meeting at the offices of a highly regarded New York publication will make you chuckle because it seems unbelievable. But, yet it is true. As one of only two African American Chairperson of a publicly traded companies (the other person is Ursula Burns of Xerox) she is less well known than a Beyonce or even Oprah Winfrey. However, Ms. Hobson is a highly accomplished, Princeton-educated young woman.

Her talk is both relatable and relevant. She makes a business case for businesses making diversity one of its core values and part of its competitive strategy. She also makes a human argument for why we can not wait for the next election or another year to confront the issues of race and racial discrimination in America.

To listen to today's feature, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, click here.