Each year, the School of Media and Journalism’s Diversity and Globalization Committee recognizes select students with the Robert G. McGruder Student Award for Diversity in honor of the late Robert G. McGruder, a trail-blazing Kent State journalist, the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater, the first black reporter at The Plain Dealer both in 1963, the first black president of the Associated Press Managing Editors group in 1995, and the first black executive editor at the Detroit Free Press in 1996. McGruder died in April 2002 at the age of 60, but his legacy continues at Media and Journalism with the Robert G. McGruder Distinguished Lecture and Awards Program.
The pandemic has put this year’s in-person event on hold; however, students and alumni were still awarded for their work to promote diversity and celebrate different cultures.
Valerie Royzman, B.S. ‘19, was recognized as this year’s first place winner for her work alongside student designer Maryrose Ceccarelli to produce an essay depicting Royzman’s family history as immigrants from Ukraine.
Royzman, who studied journalism at Kent State, was heavily involved in student media, working with KentWired, the Kent Stater, The Burr and A Magazine. She says that this story was different for her as it was the most creative and personal piece that she had ever written for publication.
“It was something I had journaled about for years,” Royzman said. “I had never freely written something like that before about my life, my identity and my family’s journey as immigrants. This essay was me trying to get closer to my history and honor my parents. I think it was me getting to know myself.”
Ceccarelli, who designed the layout for the article in A Magazine, says that she wanted the tone of the piece to be reflected in the design. She worked with photos given to her by Royzman to create a scrapbook-inspired spread.
“Because it was such a personal story about her family, I wanted it to feel like you were flipping through a family’s old memories and photos,” Ceccarelli said.
Royzman said she is grateful for Robert McGruder, the man for whom the award is named. McGruder served as the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater as well as the first black reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
“He spent his life breaking racial barriers in journalism as an advocate for African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, women, everyone,” Royzman said. “We still have a long way to go when it comes to diversity and inclusivity in journalism and many other industries.”
Cheryl Ann Lambert, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Media and Journalism who serves on the Diversity and Globalization Committee, called the piece the “clear front-runner” during the committee’s selection process.
“This was a beautiful article that illuminated elements of a culture we don't often get to see. It was lyrically written and portrayed familial tie, belonging, and longing for home,” Lambert said. “It leapt off the page.”
Special recognition was awarded to a team of four students within Media and Journalism for their work on , a video that highlights the personal experiences of the Black community at Kent State. The team of students included Tramaine Burton, Sara Crawford, Maria McGinnis and Connor Steffen.
“I was impressed with the Black Lives Matter piece for meeting the moment,” Lambert said. “It's important that underrepresented students have a voice and are able to convey their perspectives when social issues affect them personally.”
Over the summer, many students in the Black community at Kent State joined the #BlackAt movement on Twitter, sharing their stories of being a Black student using #BlackAtKentState. The reporting team found people to interview through the hashtag, reaching out to students to give them an even bigger opportunity to share their personal experiences.
“It was definitely necessary to do that type of story at the time we did,” Crawford said. “Instead of doing a surface level story and just covering what was happening, it was important to dive into what’s going on for people on our campus.”
Steffen edited the video and says that it shed light on the true experiences of Black students at Kent State, which often differ from white students’ perceptions of the campus.
“What I want people to take away from the video is no matter what your ideology on race is, for a second, just stop and listen to these people and their experiences at Kent State,” Steffen said. “A lot of people just see the national headlines, but this is what’s happening on our campus, and I hope the video can give people a new, better perspective.”
For more information about the McGruder program, visit /mdj/robert-g-mcgruder-distinguished-lecture-and-awards-program.