The write-up on IC also prominently featured new faculty member Olubusola (Shola) Ajayi, adjunct professor of media arts, sciences and studies, and her course Filmmakers of Color, which Powers called a “critically important” addition to Park’s offerings.
According to Ajayi, the course features filmmakers of color in the curriculum and discusses white supremacy, racism and inequality in Hollywood and in the films watched in class. It also encourages students to be active in recognizing and questioning how characters are presented in their stories, the stories their peers are telling, and the potential impact these stories will have on their audiences.
“I created this course in response to my own film school experience. Filmmakers of Color is extremely relevant now and provides an opportunity to prepare future creators to be comfortable having conversations around topics dealing with race, inequality and intersectionality,” Ajayi said. “I'm excited about how this course has evolved, due in part to some amazing IC students who took the time this summer to work with me to develop this course. The overall goal is for graduates who work in production and/or Hollywood enter these spaces informed and empowered enough to work towards ensuring Hollywood is an equitable industry for all.”
Additionally, the write-up highlighted the new Iger-Bay endowed scholarship, which is awarded to incoming journalism, sport media or documentary studies students who demonstrate financial need and hail from communities that are historically underrepresented and underserved in these fields at the college and nationally. The inaugural recipient of scholarship was sports media major Damani Madir ’24.
