YR Media Launches Youth-Led Interview Series to Spotlight Cultural Innovation

“Movers & Shakers” Showcases One-On-One Conversations Between Gen Z BIPOC Content Creators and Newsmakers in Tech, Media, and Music

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--YR Media (formerly Youth Radio) today launches “Movers & Shakers,” a series of interviews and profiles of emerging youth leaders across the technology, media, and music industries. Spotlighting BIPOC innovators and artists who are on the creative cutting edge and leading cultural innovation and change, the editorial effort creates an authentic, robust, and inclusive picture of American life through the eyes of more than a dozen YR Media youth journalists.

“Movers & Shakers” builds on the success of YR Media’s first season of interviews with leading voices in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, dubbed “In The Black Mirror.” The previous campaign took an investigative look into how AI is changing the world–for better and for worse.

In this latest iteration, “Movers & Shakers” aims to expand the scope by digging deeper into the innovations and back stories of BIPOC influencers who are changing the way our culture thinks about technology, media, and music. The new season will highlight interviews with Diana Nucera who is translating AI for the public; 14-year-old journalist Jaden Jefferson who has scored executive interviews with top political figures; and PhD student Ezinne Nwankwo who is countering the spread of misinformation about topics including COVID-19.

“Participating in the ‘Movers & Shakers’ campaign opened my eyes to the hardships and inequities many face with regards to accessing and utilizing technology,” said Melissa Perez Winder, a YR Media contributor who interviewed Victor Silva, a computer scientist and leader of the Black in AI organization. “My conversation with Victor taught me that without equitable access to technology and technology education across the globe – including those countries with few resources – AI will not be able to bring forth a better future for humanity,”

“Movers & Shakers” launches today, June 2, 2022, at YR.Media. Funding for the technology category of the campaign was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and in collaboration with YR Media’s MIT App Inventor partners, who aim to create content, curriculum, and research in AI literacy. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. For more information about YR Media, please visit https://www.yrmedia.org/.

About YR Media

YR Media, formerly Youth Radio, is an award-winning leading media, technology and music training center and platform for emerging BIPOC content creators who are using their voices to change the world. Headquartered in downtown Oakland, California, with a national footprint and a hub in the Midwest, the non-profit has spent nearly 30 years helping future generations build crucial skills in journalism and multimedia content. It produces journalism, music, graphic design, podcasts and documentaries that disrupt and shape the mainstream narrative. For more information, visit yrmedia.org.