Over the weekend, GLAAD was proud to host another group of advocates at our National People of Color Media Institute in Los Angeles. The National People of Color Media Institute was created specifically for people of color who are LGBT or LGBT allies.
A passionate group of leaders were media trained to speak in national media outlets about issues that impact the lives of LGBT people and their families. Participants included: Raquel D. Armenta, a grassroots organizer at InnerCity Struggle which organizes youth and families around educational, social and economic justice in East Los Angeles; Mandy Hu, a member of the board of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and a commercial litigator with the law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP ; Tommy is the program manager at API Equality-LA where he directs ongoing research and oversees communications activities and Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and the first person to hold the Ph.D. of African American Studies from Northwestern University, including many others.
The Institute consisted of a two-day, advanced spokesperson training program where GLAAD staff and key media trainers developed Institute participants in the areas of framing and messaging for on-camera and radio interviews. Spanish-speaking spokespeople also received feedback from GLAAD’s Director of Spanish-Language Media.
By the end of the training, participants mastered telling their stories along with compelling LGBT-related data. Participants will receive ongoing support, feedback and training from GLAAD staff, including quarterly progress reviews. A similar training took place in New York City on August 27- 28th.