June 3, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH SPECIAL EDITION By Leslie Fields-Cruz BPM Salutes the Life of Lewis Erskine Lewis Erskine (1957-2021) “[Lewis] was a master storyteller who edited with his whole heart.” — Denise Greene, director of programs, Black Public Media Black Public Media has learned that beloved editor … BPM Salutes Lewis Erskine
June 1, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz There’s a Lot to Celebrate this Pride Month Last year this time, my team and I were struggling to re-engineer a summit we’d long planned to be an in-person affair into something that could be presented and attended virtually. Like BPM, NYC Pride, which for … How’re You Celebrating Pride Month?
May 11, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Tribeca Adds Juneteenth Celebration to 20th Anniversary Festival When the Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2001, New York City was struggling to recover from the 9/11 terror attack that took more than 3,000 lives and demolished the jewel of the Tribeca neighborhood: … Tribeca Celebrates Juneteenth, BPM Launches Technically Brilliant
April 27, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Reflections on the 2021 Oscars First, let me say Ramadan Mubarak (Happy Ramadan) to all our Muslim brothers and sisters. I realize Covid-19 is forcing you to modify the way you observe this sacred holiday. But perhaps the pandemic-imposed restrictions will open the … Reflections on the Oscars
APRIL 20, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Photo of DJ Jigüe from AfroPoP feature Bakosó, by Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi Spring is Poppin’ with ‘AfroPoP’ and Tribeca’s 20th Anniversary The preliminary analytics we’ve received on Total Market Coverage for AfroPoP Season 13 reflect a highly enthusiastic reception from public media station programmers across … Spring is Poppin’
APRIL 13, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Thanks for Making PitchBLACK 2021 a Success! Last fall, when it became apparent that PitchBLACK might have to be radically different from anything we’d tried to do before, my staff and I took a deep breath. We then set out to design a … Thank You PitchBLACK Supporters!
April 6, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Hats Off to Our 360 Incubator+ Mentors! It’s award season in the media industry. The 2021 Golden Globes, Grammys, NAACP Image, and SAG awards are all behind us. BPM’s PitchBLACK Awards will be held Fri., April 9, with the Oscars and Peabody awards still to come. … BPM Salutes Its Mentors!
MARCH 23, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Standing Against Hate When I was a high school student, three cisgender White males in my English class were conversing among themselves about some evening activity. My ears pricked up, I was a nosy kid. These young men, ages 16 -17 were talking … Standing Against Hate
March 16, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz Celebrating Black Women’s History It’s the middle of Women’s history month and as a Black mother, I believe Women’s History, just like Black history, must be included in all of our teachings about American and global history. However, until we get there, I … Celebrating Black Women’s History
March 2, 2021 BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA WEEKLY DISPATCH By Leslie Fields-Cruz GEARING UP FOR PITCHBLACK & AFROPOP 13 Saluting the Black Women Making History in the Fight Against Covid-19 Hi BPM Family, With Black History Month behind us and Women’s History Month underway, I urge us all to remember the 63,000+ Black Americans … Gearing Up for PitchBLACK and AfroPoP