The School of Journalism welcomes new faculty members

The school of journalism is pleased to welcome two incredible journalists to our tenure-stream faculty.

Eternity Martis and Shari Okeke are both award-winning journalists who have focused much of their careers on centring and uplifting Black voices.

Although she officially joins the faculty this July, j-school alum Eternity Martis has been an instructor with the program since 2020. She created and teaches JRN 319: Reporting on Race: Black Communities and the Media.

"Anti-oppressive journalism wasn't really something that we were talking about even five years ago, but we're understanding the value in it," Martis says. "It's great to be coming on board to expand on that. Not just within (JRN) 319, but applying an anti-oppressive lens to all the courses I'll be teaching or consulting on."

On top of teaching, Martis is still a working journalist and an author. 

She hopes to continue to bring knowledge and experience to the j-school program and create safe spaces for students underrepresented in the field.

"I've heard from a lot of my own students that they feel really disillusioned with the industry. They don't see themselves represented," she says. "So I'm hoping that by coming in, I can show them those different avenues, I can use my connections and use my network to help them get a foot up in the industry."

Martis says she is especially ready to be back on campus when looking at the year ahead.

"It's a huge difference when you're in person as opposed to on a screen," she says. "I'm looking forward to getting the opportunity to teach in my first term as a full-time faculty member in person."

Shari Okeke has been a journalist for nearly 25 years, most of that time spent with CBC Montreal.

After completing her master's, Okeke worked in Toronto and London before moving back to her hometown of Montreal. She will be returning to Toronto shortly to begin teaching.

"I'm really excited to settle in, and my teenagers are super excited to check out Toronto," she says. "It's an exciting move for my family."

Okeke is currently working as a senior producer of CBC's The Doc Project and has thoroughly enjoyed her time there.

"I love this work because this team works so collaboratively," Okeke says. "It's an exceptionally talented team of journalists and documentary makers."

Before The Doc Project, Okeke worked for CBC as a business reporter, on the series Real Talk on Race, as well as creating a podcast featuring the voices of young people called Mic Drop, which was nominated for a Peabody award in 2021.

"I'm really passionate about that project [Mic Drop] because I'm always trying to get voices out there, and amplify voices that we don't often hear from," Okeke says.

While Okeke has created courses for Concordia University and the CABJ's J-School Noire, she is very excited to join the j-school faculty.

"I love the idea of working with the next generation of journalists," she says. "I love talking about journalism, exploring the issues we face daily and looking at ways of challenging the way things have always been done. Journalism is changing, and there are some changes that are needed. Urgently."

Okeke will officially join the faculty on May first, 2022, and Martis will formally join on July first, 2022. 

Welcome, and congratulations!