A Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, Dr. Melita M. Garza has published numerous scholarly articles on the role of English and Spanish news in shaping social reality. A respected speaker on media representation of immigrants and Hispanics, Dr. Melita Garza supports the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).AEJMC has announced it is receiving books and non-fiction reports for the 2018 AEJMC-Knudson Latin America Prize. The annual award was established to recognize books or reporting projects highlighting important issues in Latin America. Submissions should be sent by mail to Jenifer McGill at AEJMC’s office at 234 Outlet Pointe Blvd., Columbia, South Carolina, by November 21, 2017. Submissions should include six copies of the applicant’s original work on Latin America. The work must be journalistic or educational and should improve the public’s understanding of Latin America. While any topic is accepted, applicants are encouraged to submit work that discusses civic issues, promotes social change, or breaks new ground. The work must have been published in 2017. Only current AEJMC members can send submissions. They can do so either as individuals or as a team. On top of six copies of the work, submissions must include a mailing address, email address, and telephone number. Winners will be announced in June 2018 and awards will be presented in August 2018 at the AEJMC Conference.
Dr. Melita M. Garza is an assistant professor at Texas Christian University. A seasoned journalist with expertise in Mexican American and Latino studies, she was an invited panelist and commentator for the City of Fort Worth’s Movies that Matter Latino film series. Participating for the first time in the program in March 2017, Dr. Melita Garza shared her interpretation and thoughts on the movie Ella Es el Matador, or She Is the Matador. The male matador serves as a manifestation of Spain’s and the world’s traditionally fixed gender occupations. Spain went to the extent of issuing a law in 1908 banning women from entering the sport. The 2009 film, She Is the Matador, relates the story of women who want to become matadors in Spain.The movie narrates of history of the women that brought about the enactment of the 1908 law. It also tells the story of two women matadors, newcomer Eva Florencia and the celebrated Mari Paz Vega. While these women are trailblazers by default, it was their intense passion for bullfighting that drove them to become matadors.
Since 2013, Dr. Melita Garza has served as an assistant professor of journalism history at Texas Christian University, and her research has appeared in such outlets as American Journalism. A noted scholar in her field, Dr. Melita Garza will participate as a panelist at the 2017 conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). In this panel, a distinguished group of women in academia will discuss the challenges faced as junior faculty members, tenured professors, department chairs and deans, as they maneuver through the world of higher education. Dr. Melita Garza and the other panelists plan to share tips and solutions to problems that typically confront women scholars of color.The largest and longest-standing organization of its kind, the AEJMC comprises more than 3,700 members worldwide. Focused on setting and upholding high standards for the field, the association offers comprehensive resources and unites its members for an annual conference.From August 9-12, the 2017 conference will convene in Chicago, Illinois, with the theme of Closing the Gap: Media, Research and the Profession. The event will mark 100 years of annual conferences, and attendees will have the opportunity to listen to various sessions and panels and participate in workshops. For more details, visit www.aejmc.org.
