Allissa Richardson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Allissa Richardson
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Xavier University of Louisiana Northwestern University University of Maryland |
| Occupation | Journalist, professor |
Allissa V. Richardson is an American journalist, author, and professor. She teaches journalism at the University of Southern California. She also leads the Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab. Dr. Richardson is a big fan of using smartphones for reporting news. This is called mobile journalism. She also supports citizen journalism, where everyday people report news.
Her work focuses on how African Americans use smartphones. They use them to record important social justice issues. She calls this "mobile witnessing." Dr. Richardson has received many honors. She was a journalism fellow at Harvard University. She was also named Educator of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists. Plus, she's an Apple Distinguished Educator.
Contents
Becoming a Journalist
Early Life and School
Allissa Richardson first studied biology. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2002. After that, she decided to follow her passion for writing. In 2004, she earned her Master's degree in Journalism. This was from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Later, Dr. Richardson continued her studies. She earned her PhD in Journalism Studies in 2017. This was from the University of Maryland College Park. Her special project was about how Black Americans use smartphones. They used them to report on the Black Lives Matter movement. She interviewed 15 people who used their phones and Twitter. She even won an award for her excellent work!
Starting Her Career
Before journalism, Dr. Richardson worked in a lab. She researched for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She wanted to study ways to keep newborn babies healthy. But she decided to switch to writing.
In 2002, she started her journalism career. She was an intern for the Observer-Dispatch newspaper. In 2003, she became an intern for Jet magazine. She was later promoted to assistant editor. She wrote about her experience working with the magazine's founder, John H. Johnson. She felt grateful for his impact on journalism. Dr. Richardson has also written for other big publications. These include O, The Oprah Magazine and The Chicago Tribune.
Teaching and Research
Her Academic Journey
At just 25 years old, Dr. Richardson began teaching. She joined Morgan State University. There, she started the Morgan MOJO Lab in 2010. MOJO stands for Mobile Journalism. Students in her classes learned to report news using only iPod Touch devices. Morgan State University was the first historically Black college to offer such courses.
In 2012, she moved to Bowie State University. She brought the MOJO Lab with her. She taught about mobile media until 2017. After getting her doctorate, she joined the University of Southern California. She teaches about many interesting topics. These include how Black women use media. She also teaches about social justice, mobile journalism, and visual communication.
Lectures and Media Appearances
Dr. Richardson has given talks about mobile journalism worldwide. She has spoken in Africa, Europe, and the United States. She has appeared at Harvard University and South by Southwest. She has also been on NPR to discuss new ideas in journalism. You can find her work mentioned in The New York Times and ABC News. Her company, MOJO MediaWorks, has been featured in Black Enterprise magazine.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Richardson has received many awards for her work. Here are some of them:
- 2002 Freedom Forum Chips Quinn Scholar
- 2007 Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching & Advising – Morgan State University
- 2012 Journalism Educator of the Year – National Association of Black Journalists
- 2013 Apple Distinguished Educator – Apple, Inc.
- 2014 Nieman Foundation Visiting Journalism Fellow – Harvard University
- 2016 Dr. Mabel S. Spencer Award for Excellence in Graduate Achievement – University of Maryland
- 2020 Outstanding Book of the Year Award – National Association of Black Journalists
- 2020 Frank Luther Mott Book of the Year Award - Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
- 2021 Hazel Gaudet-Erskine Best Book Award - International Communication Association
- 2022 Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Award - American Sociological Association
- 2023 MIT Press Grant Program for Diverse Voices - MIT Press
- 2024 Dr. Betty Shabazz Changemaker Award - The Shabazz Center
Important Publications
In 2020, Dr. Richardson helped create a virtual reality series. It was called "In Protest: Grassroots Stories from the Frontlines." This series showed the lives of activists working for racial justice.
She has also written several important articles and a book:
- "The ‘Good News’: How the Gospel of Anti-Respectability Is Shaping Black Millennial Christian Journalism" (2020) – This explores how young Black Christians use journalism.
- "Endless Mode: Exploring the Procedural Rhetoric of a Black Lives Matter-Themed Newsgame" (2020) – This looks at how video games connect with protest journalism.
- "Dismantling Respectability: The Rise of New Womanist Communication Models in the Era of Black Lives Matter" (2019) – This studies how Black women journalists have changed stories about protests.
Her book, "Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones, and the New Protest #Journalism," is very important. It explains how Black citizen journalists use smartphones. They use them to record cases of police misconduct. This has had a big impact on movements like Black Lives Matter. The book has won several major awards.
Activism and Projects
Dr. Richardson believes that schools should use mobile devices more. She thinks this helps students learn better. She wants students to take charge of their own learning.
She is also the founder of MOJOPro. This company creates workshops for young people. They learn how to tell stories using iPads and iPods. MOJOPro also trains teachers on mobile learning. In 2012, she helped create a traveling workshop for a PBS film. It was called Slavery by Another Name. In 2013, The Washington Post asked her to lead monthly iPad journalism workshops. These were for journalists, teachers, and students.
Dr. Richardson has been an advisor for Global Girl Media. This group teaches girls to report news. She created their first mobile journalism lessons in 2011. She trained young women in South Africa and Morocco. They learned to report news using iPod Touch devices.
She also advised Black Girls Code (BGC). BGC teaches girls of color to create websites and apps. In 2013, Dr. Richardson created BGC's first youth mobile journalism workshop. This project helped her company gain recognition in Black Enterprise magazine.
