Meet Micah Wilson– President of UCO Association of Black Journalists

May 1, 2020

I am Micah Wilson a senior MCOM student majoring in professional media. I am an Oklahoma City native from “the Creek.” My career goal is to do television news in OKC as an anchor/reporter. I want to be an active member of the community visiting local schools and empowering students. I would eventually like to become an on-air personality at Complex Networks.

As president, why are you excited to be a part of this group and help bring it to UCO?

I am very excited to have this organization coming to campus. This past year I served as VP for UCO NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). In addition, I was an anchor at UCentral. I want to bring these passions together. I am Black. I am very proud to be Black and fight for equality and to represent and serve as a Black voice. I am also passionate about news and journalism; I want to bring the two together. I also know that being at UCO, a predominantly white institution (PWI), there are few faces of color in the same classrooms. I want this organization to bring us together and show students that they may not be the only Black person in their class. It is good to be around peers with similar goals and backgrounds to yours. I also want to have this organization on campus because of my personal experience. Being on UCentral, I am one of the only Black people on the newscast. Sometimes I am asked to speak for all Black Americans when posed with questions, name pronunciations, etc. Serving on the NAACP board, I know I am not the only one who has dealt with this. It can be exhausting especially if you are the one who is always the go-to. It should not be this way; we are all individuals with different thoughts and opinions. While I may be glad that others ask for my opinions or thoughts, I was also tired. I had to always be the one voice for all Black people. That is a lot of responsibility, especially in a communication field where we help inform and shape others’ opinions. We need more of those individuals in MCOM classrooms, newsroom, and communication settings to represent and showcase diverse voices.

What kind of activities will the UCO ABJ take part in?

We plan to host networking opportunities both internally and externally. We want to connect students from all corners, angles, and sides of the MCOM building. I also want to host activities where students can meet with professionals in NABJ. In addition to hosting networking events, some events we plan to have are Rundown and Final CutPro workshops, a “Representation in the Media” panel, a Black History Month show, and events that cater to the needs of students such as a free headshot event.

Get to know the rest of the UCO ABJ team!