Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Welcome advocates, to another episode of The Leading Equity Podcast, a podcast that focuses on supporting educators with the tools and resources necessary to ensure equity at their schools. I got a special guest with me today, his name is Mr. Clement Townsend. So without further ado, Clement, thank you so much for joining us.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Thank you for having me Dr. Eakins.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

You can call me Sheldon, man, it's all good. I appreciate you coming on. So I'm excited to talk to you about representation in the media. Often we have a lot of media out there and it doesn't shine a positive light for us folks of color. And so I wanted to just chat with you first and just get into that but before we do that, I'd love for you to share a little bit about yourself and what you currently do.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

So right now I help teachers and educators integrate media in the classroom. Electives are, I would say, super important for students, whether it's high school or middle school, and many schools may have art classes or music classes but they don't have media classes. Some teachers may have not been trained in video and editing and things of that nature, don't have a curriculum.

               So I do have a curriculum whereby I help teachers and educators integrate media. So help students create videos. Work with them in terms of their on-camera presence. Help them with their speaking and writing. Help them with their editing and just get them familiar with the media process and creating content. Not just consuming and watching content but going in the classroom and working with the students to get them to become creators and whereby develop their creativity.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Nice. So how'd you get into this? I mean, I'm assuming you had some background that got you fired up in wanting to work in schools. Before you started working with schools, what were some of the things you were doing before?

Mr. Clement Townsend:

So my parents were teachers, so growing up I came up in a household with educators. My mother and father were both teachers and when I was in high school as educators do, they asked me, "What is your plan for life?" They made it a point to say, "You need to have a plan for after high school and beyond."

               I really liked sports and I wasn't going to the NBA. That's something I encounter a lot of times with teens, they want to be professional athletes. So I figured if I could talk about sports, that could be something that could allow me to have a career. So I picked the college, Temple University. They prepared me well to be in the media field. Ended up in San Angelo, Texas.

               Sheldon, I don't know if you've ever heard of San Angelo, Texas. I had not. It was way out in West Texas. It was like a culture shock from Chicago to Philadelphia, Temple to San Angelo, Texas. Thought I was going to be there a couple of years, one or two years, ended up there five years. But told a lot of good stories, really wanted to make my parents proud. I wanted to get home to Chicago, moved on to Mobile.

               Mobile, my career really flourished. I went to the Super Bowl, went to the NBA All Star Game, College Football National Championship. Had a chance to do some really cool things and always met young people that said, "I want to do what you do. How can I be on television? How can I have a similar career path?" And that always stuck with me as I continued on.

               And people said, "Well you know, Clement, you might be able to go to ESPN." I just wanted to go home to Chicago. So five years in San Angelo long, eight years in Mobile, Alabama, one year in Virginia and then finally I got a call to Chicago, my hometown. It was like the pinnacle. I was so excited going back home.

               But prior to me getting the call in Chicago a couple of months before, my mom had got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer so that was a tough time in my life. She had stage four pancreatic cancer. I moved to Chicago. The same week that I moved, my mom actually passed away. So what I have been striving for, what I had as a goal for them to see me on television in Chicago, she never really got a chance to see that, but you have to continue on and try to move forward, still try to achieve your goals.

               Three years in Chicago and then I got laid off, cut backs. I mean, people are familiar with that. Downsizing. It happens in media, it happens in education, it happens in all fields. So after 17 years, I found myself at a crossroads. And as I mentioned, I always came across young people, teenagers along the way that wanted to know how can they do what I was doing and I knew it was a need.

               I have a passion for young people. I just like trying to help young people have a future and try to help them, steer them in the right direction towards success. So I knew at that point I wasn't going to move anymore. I mentioned some of the other stops, that it would be best for me to take my passion of media and where I felt I could add value into the education realm, which I guess is full circle because that's what my parents did. I never thought I would end up doing what they were doing, but look at me now in the education space.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Look at you now and sometimes our educational journey just some of us will fight it, and next thing you know we're in the classroom. We're in a school, we're doing this kind of work. And so shout out to you for keeping at it in spite of all the trials that you had. Myself, I had dreams of being an NBA player as well. I'm only five-

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Is that right.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Yeah, I'm only 5'7" though so I mean, it wasn't my calling, I'll just put it that way. And I wish I had-

Mr. Clement Townsend:

You understand fully where I'm coming from.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

You know what I'm saying? I wish I had a story to say, I blew out my knee or something like that but no, I just didn't have the skillset. So here I am on a podcast and this is what we do. So it is what it is but like I said, we keep pressing on even if our dreams get crushed sometimes so it's all good. So I want to talk about representation. We see a lot of things that come out in media, and I want you to share with the advocates out there a little bit about why representation matters.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Well, representation matters because the person who is in front of the camera plays a huge role in controlling the message. So when I think about representation, it's representation in terms of who's delivering the message, who's in front of the camera. It could be a host or somebody sitting at a desk or maybe an anchor. It could be somebody out in the field or whatever the case may be so representation in front of the camera.

               And then now that leads itself to representation in terms of what we see in the media. If you have people of color in positions in front of the camera and so often we just see the people in front of the camera. But also there are producers and other gatekeepers in the process that determine what makes it on air in front of your device, what you're watching, the Internet, the TV.

               But having people in these positions for me, training youth or training teenagers early to aspire to these positions, that plays a major role in now the images that we see. I think a lot of people take issue with what we see in the media, but that can be changed by starting at, I won't say a grassroots level, but again, starting with young people. Teaching them the power of media, teaching them the power of their voice, training them in how they can put out positive images and spotlight what's going on. I think that will make a major difference in terms of having more representation because now young people will know what's available to them.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

All right. All right. I'm with you. So I want to get a little more specific because I can hear folks say, "Oh well, there's representation in sports, right?" You see your sportscasters, your news anchors are in that area of sports. Often we do see people of color in that sense.

               How do we go beyond that or what is your take on representation beyond sports? And unfortunately that is where a lot of us are and only ... At least my opinion and from what I see when I watch ESPN and those kinds of things, I see representation with people of color. But what are some other areas that you would like to see us grow as far as having more representation?

Mr. Clement Townsend:

For me, it's really about journalism though. It's really about have a representation in that arena, whereby we're now telling our own stories. We're not waiting for an actual TV station or somebody else to come and spotlight what's going on in our community. No one can tell our story of what's going on in our community with the positive organizations and the positive people, the positive leaders. No one can showcase that and spotlight that better than we can.

               So again for me, I have a passion for youth, so I'm always going to go back to that. It's about training students, teenagers, even middle schoolers at a young age. How do I now go out and do research? How do I now gather information, and then take that information to now put together a positive story where I interview a leader in my community, or I interview someone at my school who is making an impact?

               Maybe they want to go in Apple, or maybe they've done some other things, they've been in education for 20 years. How do I now film video to go along with that? And then how do I now voice that, use my voice, narrate it and then edit it to now distribute it? Because again, with social media and technology, schools, these types of things can be on their website or these type of things can be on their YouTube channel.

               Back in the day they have morning announcements, but we're so much farther and should be well beyond morning announcements. So when you talk about representation, it's getting started with maybe a junior journalist at a young age, and then hopefully that they now aspire and there'll be more representation.

               And it doesn't have to just be on television and major media outlets. Digital media in terms of the Internet and things of that nature, that's so real to millennials and that age group. So just making sure that we're represented in the media period, how people consume it in all of its formats.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Man, you are dropping some gold. And I love how you talk about telling our own story. We're not waiting on, like you said, "Someone to come and, 'Oh, we heard about this community. We heard about this neighborhood. We heard about this street.'" Or whatever it is and so we're waiting on them to provide our story and then you know how that goes.

               Some of the things you say doesn't always get presented or published. They pick and choose, like you said, "Gatekeeper, what gets highlighted." And so I love the idea of doing our own thing. That's so important.

               So when it comes to funding and we're talking about equity, right, and we're talking about schools and classrooms. So that sounds all nice and good but those things cost money. They require someone with some skill set to provide this teaching or training to our students. What is your take on the equity piece when it comes to how do we make sure that our youth of color get these opportunities?

Mr. Clement Townsend:

I think the educators really need to understand the value, I think it starts there. Educators and administrators won't even push forward if they don't understand the true value and hopefully I've already outlined that. I hope that some of the discussions that we had moments ago, outline or emphasize the true value.

               It doesn't have to be an excessive cost because of technology. When it comes to telling our story and getting young people involved and starting to train them, it can be done with a cell phone to start. And most students, most teenagers already possess a cell phone. It's just that they don't necessarily know how to use it in a form where they can inform people or inspire people and use their creativity that way.

               So it doesn't have to be okay, every school needs a full TV production studio with lights and expensive cameras and tripods and a TriCaster and things of that nature. So when it comes to money and equity, start with what you have. There are online programs out there where students can learn how to edit and you can just edit on your phone, so I would say start there.

               So to answer your question, different schools will have different budgets and will have different amounts of funding available, but whatever your funding is, understand that it's important. And let's at least get started maybe with a cell phone and an editing app, and we can upload to YouTube or the Internet and we're getting started that way.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Love it. Now I'm a podcaster, so I create content. I create content centered around diversity, equity and inclusion. I've gotten a little bit of training, but I did a lot of YouTube. Actually, the mic that I'm using right now is the original mic that I've started two years ago, I'm using that today and it didn't take me much.

               I mean, literally all I got going on right now is this mic plugged into my computer and we're recording this on Zoom. I'm recording it. It's very simple stuff. Like you said, "It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to go all out, buy the latest and greatest. It's more of the passion to me. It's more of what kind of message you want to give out and how you want to present that message."

               I'd love to get your take on what are your thoughts as far as when we think about social media and we talk about TikToks, your Snapchats or your Instagram Stories or your Facebook Lives, all those kind of things. Do you feel like those have a place or is there a way that we should be able present content? Because like you said, "Our millennials, our younger folks, those are the ones, those are the media that they're often using." How do we get our message across or help our students in those capacities?

Mr. Clement Townsend:

I think it's about really trying to teach them and instruct them in terms of the power of media and what can be done. Certainly a lot of youth do what's popular, do what's cool. So with TikTok it might be the latest dance moves and things of that nature or Snapchat it might be something else but understanding, hey, why not interview someone positive?

               And certainly what's going on right now where we stand at this present time in COVID, in-person interviews might not necessarily be an option but as you mentioned before, a Zoom interview. Why not talk about somebody that even during this pandemic is making a difference? There are still people during COVID-19 doing food drives and doing PPE drives and things of that nature. So taking a snap about something positive that's going on. Doing a Facebook Live about something that's happening in your community.

               So I'm just all about using it for good. Certainly everybody wants to have fun and fun has its place, but are youth being introduced and really taught or shown the other side of the coin, the positivity that could be done? I always say it's difficult for youth to aspire to what they haven't been exposed to. So if nobody brings it to a teenager's attention or middle schooler's attention, you know what, you can use Facebook Live in this fashion. They might not necessarily just come up with that concept on their own.

               So all of those things have their place because all of those things have an audience, and certainly teenagers and things of that nature use those different platforms. But how can, again, we use those platforms in a way that benefits people of color? How can we use those platforms to benefit us? I think that's so important.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

All right. So I could hear some of my advocates saying, "All right, well that's cool if I'm a journalist teacher or maybe if I'm a literature English writing teacher." Do you feel like this is some options that we could provide in maybe a science class or math course or other courses beyond courses that maybe require some writing? What is your take on going beyond just your literature, your English type of courses?

Mr. Clement Townsend:

I think it could have some use cases, even in a social studies course, that sort of thing. A history course, as it pertains to potentially role playing and things of that nature, trying to make some things come alive. Certainly when people or students are going through history, it can seem old, it can seem foreign. But just maybe a mock interview of what would it be like to interview somebody that they're learning about in times past to try to maybe recreate and do an interview and things of that nature.

               And again, as you mentioned in terms of if I'm not a journalism teacher or an English teacher, when you talk about media, speaking plays a huge role. So just trying to find ways to incorporate, now I don't know if that fits into math and science. That might be a difficult squeeze, even though some educators are creative so who knows? But really trying to help students get the skills that they need to.

               I don't want your equity educators to listen and say, "All students don't want to be in the media." But I think all students should learn how to speak well, because I think communication is just a huge part of job interviews or entrepreneurship and business or personal relationships. So just understanding too, just the communication piece, how that can be woven into and integrated into other classes, other subjects. I think that is something that could be a possible. It might not necessarily be editing, but still trying to get that communications piece I think is important.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Thinking about science, I just helped my daughter do her science project. And they're recording the kids with COVID and everything, what they're doing rather than having a science fair. You come in, an open exhibition. They have to record their actual presentation of their science board. I'm just thinking as a science teacher, maybe I could compile all those different presentations, and be able to package it in a way that I could showcase it to others or make it public in some sense, which least-

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Absolutely.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Yeah. I'm sorry, go ahead.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Yeah. No, because even in that and that might be from a teacher's perspective but again, taken a science fair and now allowing whether it's the school community or the stakeholders to actually see what took place using video, as you just outlined. It's one thing to hear about, okay, your daughter was at the science fair and they had so many competitors, but now what if there is a video where you can see what some of the other students did in your daughter's class, and actually see who won and actually hear from the winner and why they did what they did.

               Now to make things a little bit more real, now I think that just builds the community for that school and the stakeholders and things of that nature. And again, that's just telling the story too, so that certainly could help out the science teacher. I think that will be a huge asset that on the spot, you just came up with using your creativity.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

All right, man. Hey, don't be pumping me up. Listen, I was just thinking I'm like, okay. Because I know when I do presentations, when I do consulting and stuff I'll always get, especially when I talk about being culturally responsive, people will say, "Oh, that's good for history. That's good for our English teachers." But I'm like, "Well, there's things that science folks can do. There's things that math folks can do."

               I was trying to think of something maybe that a math teacher can do to provide some media as well. I don't have it off the top of my head. So folks who are listening, if you're a math teacher and you got some ideas, please shoot me an email [email protected] or also reach out to Clement as well. I'll link up his media, social media connections as well and reach out to him as well. Because I'd love to know some ideas as far as what math could look like and what maybe even PE, some other courses could look like if we were to expand upon things.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

And I'm sure there are ways. Educators are full of creativity. That comes in their DNA and their ability to take different resources and use them in a creative and engaging fashion. So I would not be surprised if some of your listeners have some ways that this could be applied to different subjects.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

All right. All right. Cool. All right. Let's shift gears a little bit because I'd love to know a little bit about some of the work that you do. So let's just say I'm a school leader. Maybe I'm someone in a classroom. I want to do this. We got Zoom right now or distance learning even if our school building is open. What are some ways when you first come in, how do you get people set up and how do you get them started so that they can be able to help their students out?

Mr. Clement Townsend:

So the current way that I'm actually helping educators and working with educators because everything is online, is through an actual video journalism pro course that has videos on demand. So now, I can service an educator in Idaho or in Illinois or in Pennsylvania, and they actually get the same exact teaching. And also the students are able to rewatch the lessons to make sure that they absorb the content.

               Certainly in a regular form of education, a teacher facilitates and a student has to take notes, or say the student wasn't there, they might miss the material. So now in an on-demand format if a student misses it, they can go back and watch it and still get the same material, or if they didn't understand something, they can rewatch it.

               So in terms of how I'm assisting and working with educators is through that program, that gets you started in finding stories. whether it's about a teacher, whether it's about their family, or whether it's about an organization, taking them step by step through the process again.

               So now can have equity, now we can have more representation, so they know how to share their stories. So how do I find the story? How do I do the research necessary? And all of these things can go into an English class or an English subject. We talked about electives before, but again if I'm finding a story and doing research and then writing a story, I mean, that's English to me.

               Certainly when you're interviewing people, that has to do with communication skills and you're narrating the story. And then again, you're filming it and you're editing it and then you're distributing it and you're publishing it. So that's the way right now that I'm helping and available to help across the country in an online format to really walk students through a step-by-step process.

               Certainly as it stands right now in a pandemic, a lot of teachers are overwhelmed. Some of them are tired, some of them are doing remote learning, some of them doing hybrid learning. So trying to offer a solution that makes it easy and seamless for them to be able to do media in the classroom and then of course too, to promote the school's brand.

               We've discussed it. Who can better tell what's happening in a school than the students or the people that are involved? So really trying to get that process going and again, helping students be excited about it too. Maybe they don't want to do a story about what's going on at the school, but allowing students to have a choice in what they're discussing.

               What is the topic that they feel is important? What is relevant to them? So now they understand that their voice matters. They understand the power and their voice and that they can share things. And it's not just I'm doing an assignment to turn it into my teacher, but I'm doing a project that we're going to distribute and it's going to be seen by a large amount of people or a larger audience. It holds more significance in my opinion, when they know they're doing something to that magnitude.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

All right. For the less savvy, tech savvy educator who wants to do this. Right? And I use tech savvy lightly these days, right, because a lot of us have gotten our feet wet over the summer, or maybe March and April when we got thrown into this and a lot of us are getting better. Where would you suggest they start?

               So for example, are you saying maybe they should look into producing some video content, maybe that's YouTube or another platform or should they try maybe some podcasting? Should they look at blogging with their students? Where would you say, "You know what, if you're not as tech savvy maybe you should start here."

Mr. Clement Townsend:

I'm a video person. So I would say again, I think most students have a phone. I know a lot of institutions across the country have Chromebooks and I'm pretty sure you can record off the Chromebooks. And again, just getting young people comfortable pressing record and speaking to try to develop public speaking skills with whatever, I guess, topic they will want to deliver a topic on and see how the student would research the topic.

               It's not just speaking for the sake of speaking, but speaking for the sake of informing. So to your point though, I'm not tech savvy but a student can, teenagers or middle-schoolers or students are more tech savvy than we realize. A lot of them, and I have a young daughter and she'll grab my phone and do this thing and play with this app. They are familiar with the technology. So a lot of times you can give them a task technology-wise and they can be able to execute it, a lot of times so we have to get them a lot of credit.

               But just pressing record on a device and getting them to start using videos because video is so prevalent. I mean, people are on their phone for hours and hours a day consuming video content. And just really exposing them that way, whether it's a phone or again, okay, my students don't have a phone. With that Chromebook, with that laptop, with that iPad, just getting them to start doing some more video assignments. Adding that element into whatever the curriculum is, whatever the unit is, finding a way to try to get them to do some video-based things, to get them familiar with the technology and also just the speaking component.

               Because I mean, Sheldon, let's be honest, there are still some adults who have a fear of public speaking. I see it on a regular basis. They don't want to do things in front of the camera. They don't want to speak to a large group. But once a young person can get comfortable with that at an early age, I feel like that will have huge rewards for them on down the line.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

I love that you're thinking long-term, right, because like you said, we've got adults that I mean, including myself. A few years ago, man, you couldn't ask me to do a keynote or any kind of graduation commencement, none of that stuff. That wasn't happening so I get just-

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Really, just a couple of years ago.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Man, a couple of years ago.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

I would have never guessed that.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

A couple years ago. I'm as introverted as can be. Folks don't believe me when I tell them, "Look, I'm naturally shy, but it took me time, practice, right? Episode after episode, interview after interview, consulting, all those kinds of things. That took time to where I'm a lot more comfortable, but a few years ago that wasn't happening.

               Like you said, it was really just a matter of pressing play, pressing record. I mean, my very first episode of this podcast, I had it scripted to the T and I literally just read the entire script. But now I'm more comfortable with just having a conversation and let's talk about whatever subject it is regarding equity. I'm just a lot more comfortable. So I can attest to as an adult, it took me a long time to be able to feel comfortable with doing public speaking.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Yeah. The more you do it, the more comfortable you get. And again, when I was a teenager, there was no device or technology in the classroom because the Internet wasn't around when I was in middle school or even high school. You weren't using the Internet, you weren't using laptops. I'm trying to think, did we even use desktop computers? Maybe just a little bit.

               But all I'm saying is for educators to really take advantage of the technology. And as you mentioned, giving students chances, practice repetitions, exposure to speaking so they can build that muscle, so it won't be something that holds them back.

               Even now, when I talked to some educators or teenagers they say, "Part of the college application process in some instances, you may have to do a video essay." But if I've been doing video assignments since I was in fifth grade, once I become a junior or a senior, I'm now fully comfortable doing the video essay and discussing who I am and what qualifies or what qualities I will have that will make me an asset to this university because I've been doing it so much. I mean, that's just the way in which we're going and just trying to get students exposed to that early across the board, Sheldon.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

I mean that's the same applies to those who are looking to just get jobs or if we're looking at other opportunities, having that practice, being able to speak in front of folks. I had a friend that she went to a job interview and it was 15 people on her job panel and how intimidating that could be for some folks. 15 people, but you're applying for a job. And so you need to be able to articulate why you stand out amongst everyone else that's being interviewed and just having that skillset.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

And that sets people apart. The people that can do that, the people that have those skillsets, they are in a better position to succeed and excel. So when we start talking about equity and opportunities for the future, opportunities for success, making sure that people of color get this type of training and education. So when they get in that specific room that you just mentioned with 15 people around them, they are still comfortable.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Another piece that I talk about in the show is about being advocates. And I'm just thinking about man, when we talk about speaking up and speaking out on behalf of students or a cause, issues are occurring in our schools, things that are happening in the community that we need to address. And again, practice, right, all of that practice makes a difference.

               All right, well, Clement, man, I think you created a sense of urgency when it comes to the need to have more media awareness and courses within our school buildings. I'd love for you to share with our audience, your final thoughts.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Well I guess to your point, just for educators to understand the importance of and the benefits of students learning about media and having media projects and creating content. It's not just about what we talked about in the beginning, representation. That is a piece of it.

               It's not just solely about them wanting to become journalists, but it's about as we just discussed moments ago, the speaking component is about the writing component and the critical thinking component. Analyzing information and being able to put information together and being able to create something. It's about creativity.

               One thing that I'm hugely passionate about and I just believe wholeheartedly, this is something to spark a youth or a student's creativity. And if a young person can be creative, they can always find a way to success. I feel like some students or young people later in life, they get stuck because they feel like they have limited options and they have never tapped into their creativity.

               I'm all for education of course but for me, it's hard to develop a student's creativity in a textbook. There needs to be some type of project-based learning or other avenues where they can now see how creative they are and then later in life, know they can look within and say, "I can create some things. I can do some things." And now that opens doors for them and now they can stretch their boundaries. Now they can go beyond their comfort zone and that's what truly leads to success.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

Clement, if we've got some folks that want to connect with you online, what's the best way to reach out?

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Certainly they can find me on Facebook. My first initial C, last name Townsend, ctownsendtv. On Instagram the same handle, ctownsendtv. And please check out the website, VideoJournalismPro.com. That is the online program that I've referenced where I help actually educators integrate media into the classroom. It doesn't have to be super expensive. They don't have to be super tech savvy. We really try to make it seamless and easy, plug and play for educators. VideoJournalismPro.com.

Dr. Sheldon Eakins:

All right. And I'll link those up in the show notes as well, so folks can click on the links on their device that they might be using, so that that will be available as well. Clement, it has truly been a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us.

Mr. Clement Townsend:

Thank you for having me.

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