USC 2025 Charlotta Bass Day
This past Tuesday, February 11th, USC Annenberg hosted their annual Charlotta Bass Day event for 2025. This year’s event featured the third iteration of the Second Draft Project from the Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab. This project works to correct the “historical record for people who have been misaligned in mainstream media” by offering marginalized individuals an opportunity to share their stories. The event is always open to the public, but this year the Bass Lab was very fortunate to have local high school students who are involved with a local nonprofit called A Steady Hand. Founded in 2017 in Dallas Texas, by Donald R. Parish Jr., and later brought the organization to the Los Angeles area focusing on exposing African American children to college campuses and their culture.
Yesterday’s celebration also marked the unveiling of the Second Draft Project’s new AI-driven Interactive Interview installation on the second floor of the Wallis Annenberg Building that allows participants to hear directly from social justice leaders like Lora King and Dr. Illyasah Shabazz. To commemorate the event, creators Philonise Floyd and Attorney Lee Merrit took the stage in commemoration of Floyd’s brother George Floyd’s murder.
The event began with a welcome from Annenberg’s Dean Willow Bay who pointed out the importance of the Bass Lab and how we must continue the fight for social justice in our community. Before the event officially began the Dean of the Gould School of Law Franita Tolson spoke on behalf of the law school along with introducing our special guests. Floyd and Merrit speaking about how lawyers and families have used the media to rally public support for social justice cases. Attorney Merrit specifically talked about his experience with law and media while Floyd explained how the media spread of his brother’s death helped amplify calls for justice and accountability.
The event concluded with an amazing outdoor brunch in Annenberg’s courtyard catered by My2CentsLA , a local restaurant that is known for bringing southern comfort food to the West Coast serving everything from seasoned brisket or salmon to a gourmet mac and cheese dish, greens, and vinaigrette salad. Attendees were able to get delicious food and talk with each other about the experience while soaking in the sunlight. Inside, a live artist named Shaylen Nelson known for his interdisciplinary art which displays the rich tapestry of Afro culture and the gritty realities of the artistic journey. Nelson was invited to the Bass Lab to unveil an amazing art piece he had done recreating iconic images of social justice figures including George Floyd.
Overall, the day was filled with excitement, storytelling, and education that inspired those in attendance to redefine how we can advocate for racial and social justice. As the Interactive Interview installation gains more viewers, hopefully, it will inspire future generations to find more ways to tell diverse stories and advocate for those overlooked by society.
