Alumna named NABJ Journalism Educator of the Year

Newhouse School alumna Sherri Williams G’10, G’15, a journalism professor at American University’s School of Communication, has been named the 2021 Journalism Educator of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). Williams is an assistant professor in race, media and communication. She earned a master’s degree in magazine, news and digital journalism and a doctoral degree in mass communications from the Newhouse School.

NABJ’s Journalism Educator of the Year designation recognizes the service, commitment and academic guidance of an outstanding journalism professor who has helped increase the number of Black journalists in newsrooms. Williams was awarded in part for partnerships she developed with national media outlets that allowed for students work to be published and amplified. Among those was a partnership with The Nation for the Vision 2020: Election Stories from the Next Generation project, which included Newhouse students.

Williams’ work focuses on how marginalized groups, especially women of color, are portrayed in the media. She teaches courses in journalism, storytelling and the portrayal of race, gender, class and sexual identity in the media.