Award-winning podcaster and Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Professor Shari Okeke is determined to incorporate her mission of amplifying underrepresented voices into her classes by educating her students on how best to approach the stories of these communities ethically, avoiding bias and misrepresentation.
Her Advanced Podcasting and Radio Documentaries course at TMU involves students working in teams to produce episodes for We Met U When, an original podcast that explores how past news coverage has shaped the lives of people from underrepresented communities.
Okeke is a first-time recipient of a TMU Learning and Teaching Grant which enables professors to provide their students with enriching educational experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Project proposals implement evidence-informed academic endeavours aimed to address equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and/or Indigenization.
“I applied for the grant so that I can offer journalism students more support in covering stories and amplifying voices from underrepresented communities. Often journalists, not only students, are worried about causing harm and wind up avoiding covering stories when they lack experience within a community. By accessing additional support and collaborating with experts within various communities, I’m hoping students will gain confidence to go out of their comfort zone and cover important stories that are too often missed,” she told Now Toronto.
Part of that support involved hiring Moyo Lawuyi, a research assistant who, as a Black woman, fits the qualification of being part of or having extensive knowledge on an underrepresented group. She is tasked with identifying, researching and connecting with people from aforementioned communities to find appropriate advisors for the podcast episodes.
“If there is an episode about a disabled person who was featured in a story in 2015, I would reach out to a member of the community in TMU or Toronto, tell them about the podcast, ask them what they think is missing with coverage from their community. If they agree, they would come in and help the student who is working on the episode either with interviewing or other parts of the journalistic process. This is because we believe that underrepresented people should be consulted at the beginning of a process, not just at the end.”
Last year, Okeke was able to raise enough funding within the faculty to take four students to RESONATE, a podcast festival in Virginia. However, using the allotted travel money from the grant, she decided to bring the festival to her students by having a podcast professional be a guest lecturer. Audio showrunner and writer Nichole Hill was then welcomed to the school to host a live-recording of her podcast, Our Ancestors Were Messy, which was a 2024 Tribeca Official Selection
“I want to give my students as many real life industry experiences as possible. The recording with Nichole was an opportunity to watch a pro in action and that’s inspiring and informative even for seasoned audio professionals. The takeaway for each student may be different but as long as they get something out of it that can inform or inspire their own work, I’m happy.”
As an aspiring Black media professional, fourth year journalism student Kymane Fermely found the lecture and recording session to be enlightening.
“I’ve had interesting or insightful guest speakers, but this one was so inspiring. As she was speaking, I was just thinking, oh my gosh, I should do this and this for my next project… Now I have a much clearer vision and a much more confident perception of how I’m gonna approach my podcast episode now that she’s described to me her inspiration process [and] her creative direction process… A little Black girl in me was just so happy to see a successful, confident, funny, intelligent Black woman telling me about how she reached that success,” Fermely said.
Her classmate, Jack Cochrane, who has been taught by Professor Okeke for three consecutive years, says this experience gave him a confidence boost.
“At the start of semester, I was like, I’m not getting published. This isn’t happening…it was just a credit. But you know, seeing Nichole today go through her creative process with us in like a presentation, and then also show us directly a taping of the session, and, you know, breaking down the inspirations, showing us everything that goes into, well, almost everything that goes into this podcast creation. It’s given me, like, this boost of confidence that, oh, wait, no, I think I do want to go for publishing my episode. And I do want to actually create a really compelling product.”
Okeke agrees.
“Last year at RESONATE, I noticed that the students who attended approached their work with much more confidence. They started to realize they are audio producers!”
She will continue to look for opportunities to give students as many real life industry experiences
as possible and is appreciative of those professionals willing to participate.
“I’m so grateful for Nichole Hill and many other professionals who are willing to collaborate and bring their expertise to journalism classes. I know that they are extremely busy so it’s a real gift to spend time with them.”
Her students are equally appreciative for the time and effort their professor puts into enriching their education.
“I just think out of all of my years [as a student], Professor Okeke is the professor that has given me the most like, upper growth opportunities in my work. I feel like my work is stronger. I feel more confident in my work. I feel more creative in my work, and I feel safer expressing my opinions… [She’s] probably the best professor I’ve had,” Fermely said.
“Of course, there have been others that have impacted me along the way, but I really value the commitment and the lengths that Professor Okeke goes to to give us these unique experiences and really immerse us in the world of audio production and design,” added Cochrane.
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