I get emails from LSU’s journalism school all the time and I usually don’t make a big deal about them, because they’re often boring and not worth much comment. Which is not to say they don’t rankle – the Manship School of Mass Communications at LSU is a full-on woke communist cult headquarters, and everything it communicates to the masses reflects black struggle, gay struggle or both.

Usually these emails will herald some conference, or webinar, or some other presentation about how Louisiana can overcome its structural racism or patriarchy or state homophobia/transphobia, or whatever. Those events tend to feature some of the most radical leftists imaginable and it’s uncommon for them to amount to balanced discussions in which the leftist assumptions and perspectives might be challenged.

But virtually none of our readers really care, so for me to publicize any of their activities would be an exercise in enforced boredom. And we do what we can to shield our readers from that.

Nonetheless, every now and again it becomes a duty to offer up exactly what your tax dollars are paying for at the state’s flagship university, and this morning’s offering from the J-school is attention-grabbing. This doesn’t need much commentary, so I’ll just share the whole thing and let you make your own judgement. You already know our position on this…

Louisiana Changemakers Awarded LSU Reilly Center Grants to Implement Community Projects

BATON ROUGE—The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication has selected its third cohort of grantees for the community building program, “The Community Collaborative: By the Community, For the Community.”

The program featured a four-part training session led by 2022-2023 Reilly Center Public Policy Fellow Katie Knobloch, an associate professor of communication studies at Colorado State University, and a Louisiana native.

Four $5,000 grants were awarded to participants for implementation of their community projects following completion of workshops focused on community engagement, project development and grant writing.

Grantees are listed below:

• Anna Cattar: ELL Resource Fair
  • The ELL Resource Fair is a one-stop shop to help immigrant families with students at Tara High School gain access to needed services. Anna Cattar, a 20-year-old Louisiana native, leads this project. In addition to attending LSU, Cattar manages 30 volunteers at the Adelante Leadership Initiative, an organization dedicated to providing public school ELL students with additional resources.
• Charles Champagne: Q+UMBO
  • Q+UMBO is a healing workshop for the LGBTQIA+ community. This workshop is intended to create a safe space for local queer people to come together for community building through art-making. The project lead, Charlie Champagne, is a photographer, graphic designer, publisher and event producer currently residing in Baton Rouge. They are currently the Communications & Marketing Manager at Capital Area United Way, and actively serve as the Community Events Chair for Baton Rouge Pride.
• Jordyn Martin: Plan P Baton Rouge
  • Jordyn Martin developed Plan P Baton Rouge to provide reusable period packs to those experiencing poverty and homelessness as a reliable, long-term solution for regular menstruation. An Allentown, Pennsylvania native, Martin has volunteered with Planned Parenthood in a number of roles and speaks regularly to educate women on HIV-related issues.
• Reatha Wright: Youth Domestic Violence and Awareness
  • The Youth Domestic Violence and Awareness project will provide youth with education about abuse to combat current and potential mental health issues. Reatha Wright, the project developer, is passionate about advocating for social justice surrounding education and work opportunities. Professionally, she has worked in the information technology space and currently works as a workforce development coordinator for the city of Baker.

“I am excited to continue working with each grantee as we venture through the implementation process,” said Jenée Slocum, director of the LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs. “The participants have shown their dedication to bettering their communities.”

“The grantees have demonstrated the possibility for a brighter future in local communities,” said Knobloch. “Each individual is committed to bettering the quality of life for community members by working together to face tough issues and create new opportunities.”

The Community Collaborative launched in May 2021 as an initiative to empower Louisiana residents to engage in collective decision-making and development within their local communities.

To view the complete cohort please visit the Reilly Center’s website.