Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of Southern California

Title of entry: #WeAreListening Social Media Series

About this entry: Listening is a radical act that can bring together a diverse community. The #WeAreListening social media series aims to do this by honoring and amplifying diverse voices in the USC Annenberg community – especially those historically unheard in society. Participants included students, faculty, staff and alumni across our disciplines of Journalism, Communication and Public Relations. These contributors submitted selfie videos responding to a set of questions including; “When was the first time you felt represented in the media?” These videos were then shared on USC Annenberg’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages. They were also displayed on the large Media Wall in the center of Wallis Annenberg Hall for all to see.

What makes this project unique is how it was not created out of response to a specific crisis, but instead from empathically listening to students. The series began in February 2022, after Black Annenberg students expressed that they did not feel adequately heard on campus. This led to the initial launch of the #WeAreListening series during Black History month. From there, the series continued highlighting other diverse and marginalized communities including Women, APIDA, Arab Americans, LGBTQ, Latinx, Native Americans and Veterans. Over the course of the rest of the year, 54 submissions were shared from across our community. Building on the success of the social media series, we developed and hosted a #WeAreListening LIVE event series of intimate student mixers that creates a safe, open space intended to foster connection and cross-communication between students of all backgrounds.