Interracial Communication Scholar Tina M. Harris Receives National Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Lives of Women in Communication

November 19, 2020

Photo of Tina Harris

BATON ROUGE鈥�Tina M. Harris, the 海角社区 Manship School of Mass Communication鈥檚 Douglas L. Manship Sr.-Dori Maynard Race, Media, and Cultural Literacy Endowed Chair, is the 2020 recipient of the Francine Merritt Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Lives of Women in Communication. Presented annually by the National Communication Association鈥檚 (NCA) Women鈥檚 Caucus Interest Group, this award honors a scholar who has made a difference in the field of communication through mentoring, service, advocacy, teaching and scholarship.

鈥淚 am excited and honored to be the fourth or fifth African American woman to receive this award in its 29-year history,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淲hile this tells me we as a discipline have come a long way, it also tells me that we have a long way to go when it comes to representation and recognition.鈥�

For nearly 25 years, Harris鈥� work as an interracial communication scholar has informed and expanded scholarship and practice in this area. She is the co-author of the textbook, 鈥淚nterracial Communication: Theory Into Practice鈥� and is currently co-authoring a textbook on public speaking. Harris has authored journal articles and book chapters on diversity, equity and inclusion; intersectionality in the classroom; allyship and race in the U.S.; and the use of film to teach students about the issue of race. Additionally, among Harris鈥� more than 30 teaching and research accolades, she was also the recipient of NCA鈥檚 2019 Robert J. Kibler Memorial Award for dedication to excellence, commitment to the profession, concern for others, vision, acceptance of diversity and forthrightness.

When Harris joined the 海角社区 Manship School in fall 2019 as the Manship-Maynard Endowed Chair in Race, Media, and Cultural Literacy, she assumed the first and only position of its kind in the nation. She studies issues related to diversity, access and social justice in media and society. Harris challenges students to think critically about how race informs and influences their communication and relationships. Her research reflects a commitment to identifying and unpacking stereotypes, prejudice and elements of racism in the media and working toward dismantling those systems of oppression.

鈥淒r. Harris鈥� work empowers our community to lead and support research, dialogue and action that prioritize inclusivity, cultural competence, diversity and equity,鈥� Josh Grimm, interim dean of the 海角社区 Manship School, said. 鈥淲e salute Dr. Harris and are thrilled she has received national recognition for her important contributions.鈥�

Harris鈥� chair recently received competitive matching funds from the Louisiana Board of Regents. This gift amplified the Manship family鈥檚 donation, along with gifts from many other generous donors, by $800,000, bringing the total impact of the fund to $2.6 million. With this generous support, Harris and the Manship School will continue to advance conversations on race, media and cultural literacy and fulfill the School鈥檚 mission of preparing the next generation of ethical, knowledgeable and inclusive media practitioners.

鈥淭he end goal is to teach classes and produce research that ask and possibly answer the difficult questions that many people are asking when it comes to how we can communicate across and through our racial, ethnic and cultural differences,鈥� Harris said. I want people to understand that there are systems of oppression that affect us all differently, some people more than others. Rather than place blame, harbor guilt or nurse anger, I hope that the work I do breaks down ignorance and apathy and opens up the floodgates of compassion and allyship.鈥�