Bearing Witness

The journal of West Coast Black media and culture

Innovation
Second Draft Project exhibit debuts in Wallis Annenberg Hall, showcasing Black media activism and innovation

The installation brings to life Dr. Allissa Richardson’s award-winning book, Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones and the New Protest Journalism.
TOP STORIES
  1. Innovation
    Bass Lab welcomes Atty. S. Lee Merritt to the Second Draft Project
  2. News & Updates
    HOORAE Media’s Lydia Zenaye closes out Fall Lunch & Learn series with the ‘inside scoop’ on breaking into the industry
  3. Art & Culture
    The Bass Lab spends three evenings in Solange’s El Dorado Ballroom

From the Archives

Exploring how yesterday’s history shapes today’s headlines

Art & Culture
Media, Power, and the Enslaved Woman: How Narratives Shaped a Nation
First Reconstruction
How Philip Alexander Bell pioneered the Black press of the West
First Reconstruction
Mary Ellen Pleasant’s influence on the Reconstruction-era Black Press
Abolition
The Pobladores’ unsung media legacy in California
Abolition
Indentured servitude on the West Coast
Charlotta Bass and the Struggle for Immigrant Rights in Early 20th-Century

News & Lab Updates

Happenings in and around the Bass Lab

Book Reviews
Amanda Miller Littlejohn’s “Rest Revolution” reconsiders the cult of busy
News & Updates
Brittney Griner to be honored as the 2025 Charlotta Bass Media Trailblazer
Innovation
Second Draft Project exhibit debuts in Wallis Annenberg Hall, showcasing Black media activism and innovation
Partner Spotlight
Shaylen “The Artist” Nelson creates an original work of art to commemorate George Floyd on Bass Day
Education
New Second Draft Project course explores Nipsey Hussle’s media legacy
Education
USC Charlotta Bass Journalism & Justice Lab to celebrate Charlotta Bass Day with AI-powered Interactive Interviews featuring Atty. Lee Merritt and Philonise Floyd
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In this issue
Education

Second Draft Project students visit the Fisher Museum of Art
Education

Spotify hosts USC Bass Lab at its Los Angeles HQ
Innovation

Go behind the scenes with Dr. Shabazz’s Second Draft Project interview shoot
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