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The State News discuss black culture, trending topics, issues in the black community, black clubs at MSU, and educate listeners about the black community.
(Shakyra) Hey, it's ya girl Shakyra Mabone
(Jada) Jada Vasser
(Anthony) and Anthony Brinson, and this is all shades of chocolate where we bring
(Shakyra) the sweetest
(Jada) the hottest
(All) black culture to MSU.
(Anthony) Just like we were saying off camera a little while ago, we have a very special guests with us here today, we're gonna let her introduce herself. And we'll go from there.
(Dr. Myers) Hello, hello, everyone. First of all, I love the intro alone. Let me just say that. My name is Dr. Christina Myers. I'm assistant professor in the Journalism Department. And I just started here at Michigan State University in August. And I'm just so happy to be here with you all lovely people
(Anthony) We are definitely happy to have you here as well. I'm very grateful for you to be a part of our show. And real quick, Jada, just like I was saying off camera, again, want to give you props for allowing me to have this opportunity to interview Dr. Myers. And just having it be known that there is a black woman who's a doctor here at MSU. Because it's not a lot of us here, whether it's students or doctors who just so happened to be black women. So really appreciate you for that.
(Jada) Oh, yes, of course, I interviewed Dr., let me emphasize again, Dr. Myers a few times for my first story that I wrote for this wrote for The State News. And then stories I'd written in German 200. So I knew she would be a great guest on here. And I love speaking with you every interview, we spoke for like over 30 minutes, and it was just nonstop conversation. And she gives really, really good advice. I'm very happy that we get to share your advice with everybody listening.
(Dr. Myers) Oh, well, I'm equally honored and humbled and truly blessed to be here. So thank you. Thank you. Oh, let me get the tissues.
(Anthony) Also. So just to begin our interview, if someone were to ask who is Dr. Myers? How would you answer?
(Dr. Myers) Oh, hit me with a great one to start. Christina Myers, I am a woman of God, my faith is very important to me. That is foundational. First and foremost. I am a daughter of two amazing parents who told me go be great, right? Just go out there and pursue your dreams. I'm also the little sister to older brothers who hold it down and are some of my biggest supporters. So the essence of who I am involves my faith, my family, and I'm a giver, I'm a nurturer. I truly believe we're blessed to be a blessing. So just being in this space, and being able to talk to you all this is the essence of my purpose, and what I strive to do in all intersections of my life, whether professionally or personally. So the essence of who I am, I am, it's not the journalists, it's not the professors, not the researchers, just I'm just Christina, who's just grateful and honored to be able to do what I love every day.
(Anthony) And that's amazing to hear you put an emphasis on God and your family, you say faith and family, I feel like I could be a book title. What would be the impact of that support? What did that support mean to you on your journey to becoming a journalist and then becoming a professor and then a doctor?
(Dr. Myers) Great questions. I, it's nothing like having the love to support the village, right? You need to have people around you who support what you do. You know, I, I believe everyone with you is not for you. And so when you have individuals in your life, who can speak life to you who are your encouragers, your biggest motivators, that is essential on this journey, especially we're talking about being black journalists in the field in a profession, where oftentimes we are in spaces where we are the only ones if not one of the few, right? And then my faith, right, if, if there's no one else around, I moved here to Michigan, getting this wonderful job at MSU. I'm from South Carolina. And so you're in a space where you don't know anyone, you're kind of you're starting over meaning trying to build your own community. And if I don't have anyone else, or anything else, I have my faith. And so I'm referring to the scriptures and devotionals and having my gratitude journal, those are all things that are foundational to who I am. And definitely elements to help me work on my self care, right, really focusing on my purpose in this space and being very intentional with every action, every move that I do. So that's why it's so important to me, it's the essence of who I am. And it's not about the titles, even though I'm so grateful, nobody but God, that I have had the great privilege to be on this educational journey, to get a doctorate degree, I don't take that very lightly. And so in this space in this place, I just think about okay, in this moment, what can I do to continue to be a blessing to others? What can I do to share what I know, to help bring others along with me?
(Anthony) Great. And you mentioned that you're not from Michigan. Can you give us a little bit more details about the journey you made with coming to Michigan and like you said, not knowing anyone and yeah.
(Dr. Myers) Absolutely, yes. So I'll call South Carolina home even though I'm an army brat, born in Germany, lived a few places but South Carolina is really where I grew up and was raised. I attended the University of South Carolina. Go Gamecocks, though we're Spartans. Three time Gamecock, though that was not the intention, right, I went undergrad biology and chemistry going to medical school route, worked in the health field for a few years. And then, you know, we talked about purpose and when I was really evaluating that, like, is this really what I want to do. I didn't feel like I was going that direction anymore after, you know, getting into medical school, things of that nature. And I found communications and I knew like, this is what I'm supposed to do. I always say, I always thought I was supposed to make a profound impact on other people's lives through medicine, but I've been able to make more of an impact through the gift of writing. And so continue on to University of South Carolina, getting my masters, had an amazing first journalism job, right. First journalism class was during my master's and then immediately after was my first journalism job when I graduated. And so that kept me in South Carolina working for NBC News, Associated Press and working for the state newspaper, and then going to get my PhD. I'm kind of jumbled into a lot of things. But this is my journey here. My research looks at depictions of the black experience in mass media. So I look at the intersections of music, because I love music, right, sports, because I love sports. And then of course, journalism and the news. And I'm very deeply interested and invested in understanding why certain stereotypes, depictions of our experiences, racist ideologies arise in the content we create. And so that's what I studied. And my research was at University of South Carolina, and that's where I earned my PhD in mass communications. And I'm so grateful, because there's wonderful people at the journalism department at MSU that heard about me, and I interviewed, and gosh, was it a year in February when I was made the offer here at MSU last year. So um, yeah, it's just so wonderful and incredible, just to sit back and see the journey that God put me on just trusting and believing, and having faith that His will is much more important than anything I could desire for my life. And it was just meant for me to be here, he's meant for me to be here meant for me to be in this space with you all. And I'm just looking forward to seeing what more than I can contribute to this community.
(Anthony) And I'm also definitely looking forward to it as well, because as a student here, like I mentioned, it's not a lot of black professors that you can be taught by just in my second year, my second semester, I've only been taught by one. So just to have the experience and look across to someone who shares my experiences and knows how to teach me is really appreciative. And I want to ask, what is what has been your proudest moment, so far as a journalist, and as a doctor, and being able to teach young kids and really improve everyone's life around you.
(Dr. Myers) Just come home. Now, you do what you're supposed to do in this moment? Okay, you do the thing. You spoke to it. My very first black professor was my first semester of my PhD, my PhD. Of my PhD. And I just recall, I was trying to, you know, I want to get a PhD to go into consulting work, because I'm like, it's so important that I can take this research and bring it into the newsroom to help train individuals on why it matters to have less than the space. But it wasn't until I was in that classroom, and I looked at my black male professor who was a doctor. And I said, Man, it hit me in that moment. I could make such an impact just by my presence alone. And so I would say one of my proudest moments, has certainly been in the classroom hearing from students like you all. One student came up to me after class, looked me in the face and said, I don't know how much, I can't tell you how much it means to me to see you standing in front of me. Wow. Thank you. So I could easily say my proudest moment is earning this PhD. Yes, that, but it's more so knowing already the impact that my presence alone is making.
(Anhtony) Definitely understandable. And I want to ask, what was your original inspiration for when you first pursued the thing you were pursuing at first, and then switching over to journalism? What inspired you to take that path? Because I've always heard that switching your majors and switching a direction that can be one of the most difficult things and a setback in your college journey. So just what kept you going and what inspired you to pursue the thing that ultimately made you comfortable and what you do now?
(Dr. Myers) Awesome questions. I pursue medicine because I was just always, I love anatomy, physiology. And I was like, Oh, the impact of being able to physically touch lives and change lives through medicine that gets right. And I was just so enthralled and invested in it since like I was in middle school and doing camps and programs and things of that nature of volunteering in the hospitals. And that just made me excited. But like I said, there was a point in time between you know, I took the MCAT. Oh, that's a heavy lifting y'all. I did that. And I interviewed I applied and I received interest from schools, but it's just something wasn't sitting right. Just something didn't feel right. And so I was praying, because I'm, you know, faith is important. I've been praying. And I finally came upon communications because this woman named Judy Gatson, who's a broadcast journalist in Columbia, South Carolina. And I've always admired her not only because she's a wonderful journalist, but just her presence and her impact. And I said, Why not communications? Right, I was doing communication things already in my community, where I was moderating. I was doing all these outreach things. And I said, let me try this in my master's, why not? And, again, speaking to the village, how important they are, you know, the only people that knew that I was making that leap, were my parents and my brothers. They said, go for it. We support you. What a blessing, right? Because people will be like, what you, you about to be a whole docto,r medical school, like, you bout to be an MD? But they said, No, follow your heart. You prayed about it, you have peace, go for it. And so all that to say is I tell people, I told you earlier, that on paper, it doesn't make sense, my journey as it relates to my education in my career. But when I look back on it, I'm like, only you God, like it had to be this way. I pursued writing. And I've been able to meet people across this world interview senators, governors and so many just people in our communities that have interesting, impactful stories, and I'm like, Okay, there's the impact. Then I'm taking that work into the classroom, then I'm using that work in research, I can talk to my colleagues in academia, right? touching so many lives of spaces. And again, speaking to what I'm passionate about, which is my people, my community.
(Shakyra) I just feel like we just need more people like you, like, we just need that community, you know, like, we need to get together and just come together.
(Dr. Myers) Absolutely, you know, absolutely. And there is a willingness or desire. And y'all do have created a space here with this podcast alone, right? Saying that there is space here for you. Your voice is important. Your voice, your voice matters. And that right there is the catalyst for the change that we really need.
(Anthony) Do you guys have any questions at all?
(Jada) Yeah, I just had one. So I know when I interviewed you for my black mental health story. And I know when it was the very first time I met you, I don't know if you remember is with Gary, and we were in the car building. And we just were eating and we were talking and you were just so full of life. And you were like, Oh, I'm so excited to come to Michigan. I'm like, Who's excited to come to Michigan? I'm like, Are you ready for the cold from South Carolina? And she was like, Well, what are you wearing the coat I'm like you're gonna need to pick up. But I know in our conversations, we talked about how lonely it feels when you go into work every day. And you're the one of you and it's you that's there. So what advice would you give those students who are about to graduate now, and they're entering the workplace and they know that it's just going to be them?
(Dr. Myers) Great question. I have to sneak this in Jada was one of the first MSC students that I met when I came for my job talk last February. And I told everyone, I don't know if I told you this. But when I went home, text, friends, family and all the things I said, what solidified why I wanted to be here was meeting those students, which included Jada, it really did. But what I would say is, yes, you will find yourself being the only one if not the only one. But if you are present in the space, if you occupy a space, know that you're meant to be there. So own it. Own your voice. And that aligns with your purpose in being in that space. And you might not feel it, you might feel intimidated, right, especially you're saying new graduates, and it's just a whole new world, a whole new environment is different from even though y'all have an award winning newsroom. But it is different. When you're out there. I don't wanna say the real world because this is the real world, y'all are creating gallery. This is the news here in this space. But you just have to remember why you are there. And don't be ashamed to exercise your voice. And that's something I had to learn and grow into. That did not happen in my first iteration at NBC News. That did not happen when I was at AP. It happened the third time around when I finally said, No, the stories that I want to tell matter. And the people I want to impact matter. So let me make sure I'm vocal and use my punctuation, as my friend says, be emphatic about what it is and I'm trying to do in my role as a journalist. So I say just exercise your voice be confident. And there are a coalition of people whether you know or not, who wants to support you and have your back?
(Shakyra) I really agree. Like yeah, it's a lot to say right now, but I'm like super excited. Okay, we really get it out.
(Dr. Myers) I'm excited too girl.
(Anthony) And always want to give his credit, so people are very well spoken, you're extremely well spoken. And I just want to ask, Has that always been something that's came natural to you? Or did it come over time?
(Dr. Myers) Oh, well, you know, right when I was popped out, born and I truly feel like that comes over time, right? There was a point in time where, you know, I'm active in church, you know, they call on me, you know, you get called on once you call twice, and three times, and I was always asked to, you know, speak out. But I found when I would volunteer, often, I'm a mentor, I work with middle school and high school young ladies. And when I put myself in positions where I knew I had to be up front, and I had to moderate and do those things, it started become natural to me. And then also, you know, really realizing that words matter, words hold power. And so the more opportunities that I have like this, you know, it didn't come easily, right, the more times that I had to just speak my truth and have these opportunities, the more comfortable I felt, and just being honest about my authentic experiences. And I think when you're authentic, and just speaking to your lived experiences, and just wanting to help and share, it just comes out easily and naturally. So it does take time. See, but you all are well spoken. And I should say, you
(Shakyra) See, and that's why I wanted to write, I think I've told you about this earlier, I wanted to write about the story about journalists, you know, like dealing with social anxiety, because I just feel like it's not really talked about enough. I just, I don't know, like, I just wanted to give us the spotlight because it's for one, it's a very hard topic to talk about, because not everybody is well spoken. So I just want to, like, share other people's stories on like, how can you manage do that? You know,
(Dr. Myers) Absolutely. That kills him a shy person really? Shy y'all. Um, but no, but that comes with, I do credit this profession, right, because I was forced to speak to the Senator, I was forced to speak to Governor so and so because I had to get answers, right. And so when you put yours when you're put in positions, of course, I would fumbled, you know, like that, right? I couldn't get my words out at times. But you know, what, it's about operating, exercising the authority that you have as a person, that owning that I am a journalist, and just because this person has 30 years of experience in this space, and I just got here, it doesn't matter because I'm, I'm sharing the same space as you. And so I'm just, you know, having the opportunity to do more interviews and, you know, making them cold calls and things of that nature, exercising those skills, as a journalist kind of really helps kind of really strengthen that muscle,
(Shakyra) You get better if you just keep practicing practice. Well, it doesn't make you perfect, because I just feel like nobody's perfect. But you know, it just helps you like you just said, like, strengthen your skills and things like that. Absolutely. Absolutely.
(Anthony) And one of the main things you said that stood out to me it was that it wasn't easy. And with that statement, what were some of your obstacles that you had to overcome as a black journalist, especially as a black woman in the media and just in life in general.
(Dr. Myers) Take your stories we wanted to, you know, one, one I will share that I'm proud of because I say use your punctuation and exercise your voice. This was when I finally really exercised my voice. So I was telling this story. Long story short, because I'm a talker. I was writing a story about HBCUs during the pandemic, and I mentioned, I want to tell the story, because I noticed that in our paper, we were focusing on the predominantly white institutions and how they were dealing with COVID-19. Now, these HBCUs are uniquely situated where we are dealing with the murders of George Floyd ahmaud, arbery, brata, Taylor, among others, at the same time, that COVID was disproportionately impacting our community. So I said, we need to tell that story. There is a huge intersection there that is impacting our HBCUs. But we're not talking about them. And so long story short, I wrote a story met with my editor. And one of the things my editor told me was, you need to cut the cultural stuff. See, I see the face, okay. And so I said, What does that mean? Couldn't be articulated? Well, that said to me, was cut out the heavy black stuff and why HBCUs is are the in that space is so important historically to our community, which I wasn't going to do. So I exercise my voice. I talked to by why talked about why incorporating those elements in my story was necessary to talk about how the implications of race and how that's disproportionately impacting HBCUs during COVID-19 Nene, and this onslaught of what has always been here in our country, which are the murders of black bodies, by people in these positions of authority. So all that to say is I tell that story, because after I vocalize how I felt to my editor, we had a great conversation, because sometimes it's not that people want to ignore it is that they just don't know. Yeah, you just have to educate them, but you have to educate them. And so that turned into me creating my own beat called the equity beat, which I was telling you earlier, the intersection of race, culture and policy, it was my job, not only to tell the stories of the black community, there are other marginalized groups, because people are marginalizing them. Right. There are other marginalized groups who are systemically silenced in our communities. So I made it my mission to tell their stories. So all that to say is yes, it was hard to have that conversation by needed to have that conversation and turn it into something good.
(Shakyra) Yeah, it was obviously well needed.
(Dr. Myers) Absolutely.
(Anthony) And I can only imagine how, at least at first uncomfortable that might have been to act like What do you mean to remove this part of me? Really? Yeah. And I just want to ask, what tips and advice would you ask the journalists who seeking these types of stories, and they may seem uncomfortable when they walk into newsrooms? And it's not a lot of people who look like them? Or they want to be a part of culture? And there's not really a culture that's talked about? What advice would you give?
(Dr. Myers) Absolutely, I would just say, you know, we have to work, we have to fight and combat and try to dismantle the system, but we also have to be smart and learn how to work the system. Okay. So I would say in a situation like that, when you have a story idea, you want to present a story, have all your ducks in a row, right? Talk to me about who the voices are in the story. Why does this story matter? I don't like the idea of why is this newsworthy because what's newsworthy for him or her may not be rules were a for me, because they don't live that experience. Right? So it's okay to break it down for them and go there, talk about the cultural nuances and how impactful it is for this certain community. And we to help them try to understand, write, try to build that empathetic feeling towards it, then they will be more understanding of why it is that you're deciding to tell the story, I can't just say I want to tell you a story, because they but they might be able. I mean, that is part of the reason. But that is not the core of the essence of it. I want them to know about these voices, and how this policy continues to systemically oppress them in ways that is not very explicit, but it's implicitly there. So I'm gonna break it down and illustrate it through my writing. So you just have to make sure you have it together handle your business, right? When you have the opportunity to tell the stories you have to we, unfortunately, some of our colleagues can come into these spaces that may not have it all together. But we do. Right period. And we know what that means.
(Anthony) And speaking of which, has there ever been experiences to where you were one of the few people of color and there was a situation where you had to talk to someone and you didn't know how to deliver that message? You maybe had some people call it code switching? What's been the best way you had shot? That Miss Dr. Future doctor vascular shots? Oh, what has been if any, how have you handled those moments of having to code switch and talk in environments where you've had to adapt to a place where you maybe not been familiar with?
(Dr. Myers) That's good. I would say primarily when I was working in statehouse, working for AP as a political reporter, because I would have lawmakers who would have my big old news badge, a peon completely disregard me had lawmakers check up on my credentials with my colleagues to say as she legit, right. So I don't necessarily, I don't know if I necessarily would co switch because I try to be authentic and all my spaces. But especially when I would try to interview those individuals. I would present myself in the way I would have to oftentimes present myself in a way to validate that I am supposed to be in the space and then kind of get them comfortable enough with me to then agree to the interview. But I try not to diminish who I am, I would always speak in authority. Yes, I am Christina Myers Associated Press like right? I wouldn't state who I am. But I would I realized that oftentimes in their communications with me, there was some discomfort there. And most of the time I know it was because of the color of my skin, because I was the only one covering them at that time. So I don't know if I necessarily answer that's such a great question like moments where you post which but again, I've always tried to present myself authentically. But there's times even when I was physically in the newsroom where I would remain silent, because there's certain battles I didn't want to fight, you got to know when to speak and know when to remain silent. And so I will say there were times where something was said that I wish I would have spoke up. Right. I, you know, there was one of the newsrooms that I worked in. They spent like 10 minutes on YouTube laughing at the man hide your kids hide your wife. And then it turned into a situation where we're looking at these caricatures of black people and how they've been turned into these social media memes and videos and things like that. Right. So the first time is haha, but then we start looking at the woman, and then the young man. And then, oh, we're just making fun and poking fun that yeah, these white people because their dialect and in the instances and situation they were in. So that was an instance where I wish I would have spoke up sooner because I'm like, this isn't appropriate in this professional space. And you're making a mockery of my people.
(Anthony) Definitely. And in our closing moments, because I wish we could we reach I think we're reaching about 30 minutes. We could talk for hours after this once I stopped the record. But I want to ask this last question, our closing moments, I think those be great to close, what does being a genuine person and a genuine journalist mean to you with your work and just how you go about your everyday life? Because it's very evident that you have a big personality and you literally can light up a room. So what does it mean to you to be authentic when you hear that word,
(Dr. Myers) Authentic? I would say leading back into my faith, any in everything I've done is not about me, I know who I owe all glory to. It was not by has not been my my own power, my intellect, my own strength, anything. So in terms of answering your question, and being authentically me, is being humble enough to know that if it was not by His grace and His mercies, I could not do anything that I do. And it's not about me, literally, at the end of the day, I sincerely believe we all have a purpose in life. And while we are here, that we are to make an impact, and for me, that impact is in the classroom. It's been through my research through my writing. And at the end of the day, just knowing that I cannot do what I do without the strength of, again, my village, my family and my faith. So to walk in my authenticity, is to acknowledge and to humble myself in this moment, and to realize that I could not be here on my own.
(Anthony) Okay, what a powerful way to end and Shakyra and Jada, do you have anything else to say before we close?
(Shakyra) I just want to say just stay tuned for my upcoming story. You know, it's about journalists with social anxiety. I just feel like Dr. Myers have made great points that's going to go towards my like, you know, story and yeah, just stay tuned.
(Anthony) And one more time before we do our outro just thank you so much for being here. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, we all really appreciate and it's such a cool experience to talk to you and and with that being said, guys, this has been All Shades of Chocolate where we've brought
(Shakyra) the sweetest
(Jada) the hottest
(All) black culture to MSU
(Jada) and remember to stay sweet bye