Studio C at UMTV, the University of Miami’s acclaimed student-run television station, will be the setting for the University of Miami Black Alumni Society’s virtual reunion. “Empower U: Securing the Black Vote in 2024” is the theme for a talk show-style conversation hosted by UMTV’s “The Culture,” a video podcast that highlights the Black experience in culture, politics, entertainment, and sports.
Melanie Lowe, executive producer of “The Culture” and a sophomore broadcast journalism major in the School of Communication, will host the show, along with Astin Hayes, B.S.C. ’06, president of the Black Alumni Society, and Christopher Allen Clarke, Ed.D. ’23, vice president of the Black Alumni Society and assistant dean for belonging and inclusion at the School of Law. The video podcast will be streamed live at 11 a.m. on February 23, with a watch party, lunch, and discussion in the second floor loft at the Toppel Career Center (limited seating available).
Joining the conversation is Calvin Hughes, a six-time Emmy-winning broadcast journalist who has anchored WPLG-Local 10 newscasts for 17 years, and a lecturer in the University’s School of Communication.
Hughes’s coverage of major stories in South Florida includes the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Surfside condo collapse, the Parkland school shooting, and the devastation of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Notably, he has interviewed the past three democratically elected presidents of Haiti. In addition to covering significant events in Cuba, including the visits of the last two popes and the death of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, Hughes was the first American journalist to broadcast live from the new American embassy in Havana.
Also participating is Michael Langley, B.A. ’04, executive director of Florida Justice, Inc., a nonprofit public interest law firm that uses impact litigation and advocacy to improve the lives of Florida’s poor and disenfranchised residents.
A community champion who has been recognized for his impactful work, Langley has devoted his career to achieving equitable outcomes for underinvested communities, leveraging data, public-private partnerships, and the law. He has consistently worked towards closing wealth and opportunity gaps, developing long-term solutions for issues like criminal justice, economic development, education, gentrification, homelessness, and more.
Notably, Langley collaborated with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) and R3 Score on a pilot project to provide capital to formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs. Langley has partnered with a wide range of organizations and serves on the board of Arizona Town Hall and on committees of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. With years of experience, he understands the transformative power of strategic public-private collaborations and advocates for policies that lead to prosperity.
REGISTER FOR THE BLACK ALUMNI SOCIETY REUNION WEBCASTRSVP FOR THE WEBCAST WATCH PARTY AND LUNCH
In South Florida?
After the reunion on Friday, join us and United Black Students (UBS) on February 24 and 25 for a day of service on campus and a church service in the Shalala Center Ballroom, both part of UBS's program of activities for Black Awareness Month. Get more details here.
