The United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry announced today that it will present posthumously Brandi Collins-Dexter with the Parker Award at its annual Parker Lecture and Awards Breakfast on October 30. The Parker Award is given in recognition of an individual whose work embodies the principles and values of the public interest in telecommunications and the media.
Brandi Collins-Dexter, who began her media justice advocacy career working at the Center for Media Justice, continued as Senior Campaign Director of Media, Culture and Economic Justice at Color of Change. Most recently, she was a Schuster Media and Technology Fellow at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy.
In 2017, The Hill named Brandi a “person to watch.” In 2019, she was listed in The Root 100, an annual list of the most influential African Americans between the ages of 25 and 45. She also received the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s Champion of Freedom award. She has served on the boards for Public Citizen, Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE), and the American Economic Liberties Project.
Brandi authored the 2022 book, Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future, which used “a combination of pop culture analysis, digital ethnography and investigative journalism to understand the history and trajectory of Black political, economic and social power in the United States.” The book, among other things, highlighted the increasing disenchantment of the Black community with the Democratic Party, two years before the 2024 election.
Cheryl A. Leanza, UCC Media Justice’s Policy Advisor, stated, “Brandi Collins-Dexter has been a leader and fellow traveler with UCC Media Justice’s work since at least 2012. Her work on phone justice for incarcerated people, accountability of the largest social media platforms, and the intersection of popular culture and democracy has influenced the advocacy movement and the world we live in today. Her success was built on her ability to understand and shape cultural meanings and symbolism across a wide range of audiences. She was able to convey complicated ideas to people from any background, whether they dropped out of high school or have several advanced degrees. Her voice will be greatly missed at a time when her talent is sorely needed. Our work, we hope, will continue her efforts, and her influence, like Dr. Parker’s, will last long into the future.”
UCC Media Justice was able to convey to Brandi’s family that we planned to honor her with the Parker Award just before she passed away last month.
The Parker Lecturer will be announced later this summer.
About the Everett C. Parker Award
The Parker Award is given in recognition of an individual whose work embodies the principles and values of the public interest in telecommunications and the media. Find a list of previous honorees here. Find a list of previous honorees here.