I know it's been a few days but I 'm still flabbergasted by the way the 
Oscars  ended. That was nuts! Absolutely crazy. I am so grateful that I didn't turn off the TV when Faye Dunaway said "La La Land." It was an incredible live television moment. I am so glad I witnessed it in real time. Of course, the real story certainly got lost initially. Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Moonlight. A film about an African American boy turned man struggling with unfortunate life circumstances and coming to terms with his homosexuality. It's a beautiful film which explores topics we don't often see on the big screen or any screen for that matter. 
It alters stereotypical representation of African Amercian males. For me, the most moving moment of the Oscars came when co-writer Tarrell Alvin McCraney, after winning the adapted screenplay award, said  "This goes out to all those black and brown boys and girls and non-gender conforming who don't see themselves, we are trying to show you, you and us, so thank you, thank you, this is for you."   From a media literacy perspective, Moonlight is rich for exploration about representation of gender, race, and sexuality. 

I feel like media literacy is everywhere these days whether it's at the Oscars or in the news. It used to be when I told someone what I did for a living they would give me a perplexed look and ask for more information. Now I tell people where I work and the reactions alternate between "thank you so much for the work you guys are doing" to "can you help us all? PLEASE!??!!?" There's been a shift towards greater recognition and need for media literacy. 

The highlight for me was turning on CNN to see a lower third that read "Democracy Demands Media Literacy." Brian Stelter from CNN's Reliable Sources discussed media literacy in a recent segment. 



At NAMLE, we are getting regular inquiries from the press, invitations to speak, and outreach from people who are interested in media literacy and want to help the organization. It is both incredibly exciting and daunting to be getting so much attention! It certainly has been a long time coming! 

We are glad that we can focus a lot of this new energy into our upcoming conference. Have you registered yet? Early Bird Registration is open! Don't wait another day to register and book your lodging! 

The conference will take place in Chicago, Illinois, from June 26-June 28, 2017, at Roosevelt University. It will officially kick-off with pre-conference events on Monday, June 26 (additional registration required). The full conference will commence with an evening reception on Monday, June 26 and continue on Tuesday, June 27 through Wednesday, June 28, 2017.


For more information about rates and lodging, click  here . We will continue to keep you updated on conference plans. 

I'm excited to introduce the newest person to join the NAMLE family who comes just in time for the conference crunch period!  MJ Robinson joins NAMLE as Program Manager, working closely with 
me to plan the NAMLE Conference, provide support to Organizational Partners, and facilitate outreach and involvement with members.  MJ is also an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Studies in the Department of TV and Radio at Brooklyn College where she also serves as Graduate Deputy of the M.S. in Media Studies, a program that emphasizes media literacy.

For more information about MJ, see her bio here. You can reach MJ at [email protected]. Feel free to reach out and welcome her to NAMLE. We are so glad to have her.

Stay tuned for lots more from NAMLE. 
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin's signature   Michelle Ciulla Lipkin
Executive Director  [email protected] @ciullalipkin @medialiteracyed
*Early Bird rates will be available until Friday, April 21, 2017.

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