My name is Ashanti Prendergast. This is my fourth semester at BMCC. I’m a communications major. I’m not sure what I wanna do in the future but if I had to narrow it down I’d either be a broadcast journalist or a creative director at an advertising agency. I think the media gets a lot of hate for being harmful and exploitative but it can be good. Most importantly I’ve found that there is a lack of black women in the media. It became very discouraging but for there to be representation we must create it. So for whichever path I choose, I want to help fellow black students get into the field. I’m from Queens, New York. I’ve lived here my whole life but most of my family lives in jamaica so I find myself visiting constantly. I love to travel. I’ve only ever been to Jamaica but I’m hoping that after I graduate I can take some time to travel across the world. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris. That’s my dream destination. In my spare time, I like to read, practice my french, and take walks in different areas. I dislike math, close-minded people, and being stuck in one place for too long.
I took this class because it was recommended to me. I don’t know what to expect if I’m being honest. But I hope to learn more about the revolutions that took place to get us where we are today. I also hope we get to touch upon the women’s liberation movement in the 70s. I watched a lot of documentaries about it in high school and I know how impactful it became especially regarding women’s fashion. And a film I’d love to discuss is 2019’s Bombshell. It’s about 3 different women working at fox news who faced sexual harassment from their boss. What drew me in about this film was the trailer. It left me feeling anxious, intrigued, and interested. Another thing I hope we discuss is the AlRawabi School for Girls. It’s about a girl who decides to take revenge on her bullies. It tackles sexual harassment, abuse, assault, and the harsh treatment of women. It’s a limited series on Netflix but it touches upon so many different important topics. I recommend it as a must-watch. As for books I recommend the confessions of a video vixen by Karinne Steffans. It details the life of a video vixen in the early 2000s and how the men in the industry treated her.
Hello Ashanti,
Firstly I love your name, and appreciate the film recommendations and books! I applaud your courage and your empowerment to be able to represent what the media lacks. Paris is my dream destination too, like you i am learning a language and its quiet time consuming and dedication and your practicing will pay off! I look forward to reading more of your work this semester.
Nice to meet you Ashanti, I enjoyed reading about you and what you want to accomplish as woman although it can be hard for us at times whatever we want can be done. I stick by that motto and Jamaica is beautiful I went last year to one of the resorts and had a blast. I also enjoy traveling when I can.
Great to meet you, Ashanti. I used to be the communication studies coordinator and I think you can go lots of places with that degree. Certainly, your goals of more black representation in the media will be well-served by it. And that is a great goal. I love teaching the mass media course at BMCC though it’s been a while since I taught it. There is so much to talk about!
Thanks for the recommendations! I haven’t seen Bombshell, but am well-aware of the story it is based on. And I will definitely add the series you recommended to my viewing list. Netflix has been doing some great work around gender (even though they did NOT do well with the Dave Chapelle upheaval). Looking forward to working with you this semester!
Nice to meet you Ashanti, I enjoyed reading about you. I really love that you gave movie and film recommendations, I am definitely going to look into the Netflix series as well as search for some documentaries on Feminism in the 1970s.
I also watch Bombshell, it is a great movie, the acting was incredible and the story very important. I love when good movies are made that can help educate us on stories and subjects we might not otherwise get to know so well. Although they are just movies, I do find entertainment very helpful in peaking my interest enough to then go and do my own research. For that I agree with you that there is a lot of positive work that can be done in media, all forms.
I look forward to being in class together.