So, I am taking this course on Minority Rhetorics, and I am working on a final project about the importance of identity and how it is easily lost. Throughout this course, I have learned so much about minority voices, but there is no point in learning all of this useful information without allowing it to change me and change the world I live in.
Before I even took the course, I had an interest in minorities, diversity and multiculturalism. I have traveled to five other countries around the globe and have been exposed to various cultures. For the last year, I have also served as a mentor for the Minority Advisement Program. In addition, I work closely with the Multicultural Student Center on various initiatives. Working with different groups has showed me just how much culture is a part of our individual lives. In order to create an environment where people are free to speak their minds and share information openly, there must be people willing to make sure it happens. Unfortunately, we live in a country where an elite minority controls the media, which sends out messages for the public to decipher. For this reason, I have chosen to be a journalism major and to pursue a law degree, which will lead to become a media lawyer. I want to share with you my personal statement of how I have prepared myself to be a catalyst for change and my personal way to begin that change. Please find it below:
Personal Statement
In 1993, I visited Nigeria for the first time at age five. My parents were born and raised in Nigeria—making me first generation American. The June 12, 1993 presidential election signified the end of military rule in Nigeria; however, by the end of June, the standing military Head of State annulled the election causing the nation to go into mass hysteria. My mother, my younger sister, and I arrived in Nigeria in the middle of this chaos! Despite the political uprising, my mother traveled to Nigeria to obtain her Green Card, which would allow her legal status in the United States.
My father joined us in Nigeria when he learned of the dangerous conditions. The violence forced my family to stay indoors during the daytime for much of our stay in Nigeria. At the time, I could not understand why newspapers had to be printed outside of the country and smuggled in or why we went to special locations to receive information on current developments within Nigeria. After being in Nigeria for nearly two months, the United States Embassy finally granted my mother a Green Card. On August 11, 1993, Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation suspended direct flights between Nigeria and the United States, and we managed to board the last flight out of the country.
While in Nigeria, I witnessed violent riots in the streets, school closings, and various forms of injustice. The biggest injustice that stood out to me involved the level of control the Head of State and his Administration had over the press. I remember my parents explaining to me how Nigerian citizens were left uninformed about government decisions. Only federally funded press published or broadcasted during the uprising of 1993. The government silenced all media outlets that spoke out against the government.
In grade school, my interest in journalism grew. While in high school, I wrote for my school newspaper and held various editor positions. I attended journalism workshops around the country including the Indiana University High School Journalism Institute, and I interned at a Metro-Atlanta newspaper—The Gwinnett Daily Post. My passion for bringing information to the public led me to major in Journalism at Georgia Southern University (GSU). I began to envision journalism as a tool, which enables the continuation of a free flow of information and communication to the public. Through journalism and volunteering, I discovered many problems people face in society link back to misinformation or lack of information.
During my first year in college, I participated in the Alternative Spring Break Program through the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement at GSU. I traveled to Miami, Florida where my team renovated housing projects for inner city families living in poverty. While renovating apartments, I interacted with the children and spoke with them about their aspirations. I quickly realized the children in the community lacked the tools and information needed in order to have higher expectations. Other volunteer experiences only deepened my passion for journalism.
In the first journalism course I took in college, vivid recollections of how the Nigerian government blatantly repressed the freedom of the press in 1993 led me to choose to do my famous journalist presentation on Akinwunmi Adesokan, a reporter who the Nigerian government imprisoned along with other reporters at the time. The Nigerian government claimed the existence of a free press, yet seized all newspaper, magazine, and television news outlets that attempted to inform the public of government corruption. The fact that Adesokan, along with his fellow reporters, performed their duties as journalists and were imprisoned for their bravery intrigued me and led me on the quest to how freedom of the press can be protected. I would like to take the knowledge I obtain from the Indiana University (IU) Bloomington Maurer School of Law back to the country of my heritage, Nigeria, to protect their freedom of information.
Through my leadership positions at GSU, I met Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, Tavis Smiley, Bernice King, Cornell West, Nikki Giovanni, and Lisa Ling. In my personal conversation with Lisa Ling, internationally renowned journalist, she discussed the obstacles she faces daily in reporting controversial topics. Journalists like Lisa Ling and Akinwunmi Adesokan should be allowed to use the freedom of the press to bring information to the public, especially information that would not be shared otherwise. Earning a law degree from IU will afford me the knowledge needed to accomplish my goal of protecting the free flow of information.
During his presidency, Ronald Reagan said, “Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire; it wafts across the electrified borders.” The development of Media Law is vital to supporting free access to knowledge, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and civil liberties. The Information, Communications, and Privacy Law area of focus at IU will grant me a solid foundation for practicing Media Law. Obtaining a JD/MA in Journalism at IU will allow me to explore the intersection of law and media; thereby, equipping me with the tools needed to play an active role in the protection of the free flow of information. Taking courses such as Communications Law, Electronic Mass Media, Information Privacy Law, Entertainment Law, and Copyright Law at IU will allow me to explore areas related to Media Law.
While at GSU, I took courses such as Politics and the Media, Law and Ethics of Media, and Telecommunications, among other journalism and mass communication courses, which afforded me an understanding of the intersection of law. My tenacity, dedication, and punctuality as exemplified in my completion of a 4-year undergraduate degree in three years are assets I will bring to the study of law. The decision to take challenging courses such as Ethics, Critical Thinking, and Reason and Revolution shows my commitment to active learning and indicates future success as a law student and influential lawyer.
My journalism background makes me an ideal candidate to work on the staff of the Federal Communications Law Journal. I also look forward to joining the Black Law Student Association and the Intellectual Property Association at IU. I will add to the diversity at IU by sharing my experiences as a first-generation American and by sharing my thought provoking experiences traveling to England, France, Germany, Canada, and Nigeria. With a law degree from Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law, I will be able to protect free access to knowledge, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and civil liberties, which make the United States what it personifies today and Nigeria what it strives to become.
