Community Media Day

Community Media Day is an annual event that celebrates and brings awareness to the importance of free speech and accessible media for the millions of citizen journalists who tell their beautifully unique stories every year. Community media is vital in that it shares information, encourages discussion, fosters understanding, and increases discourse that makes people in the local areas better citizens and makes the community a better place to live and work!

History of Community Media Day

Community Media Day was founded in Brooklyn, New York by Alease Annan as part of her work for Brooklyn Free Speech television, which is a community media television station in Brooklyn. Community Media Day began its celebrations with community media stations throughout the United States with the intention of growing throughout the country and even spreading all over the globe.

The first annual Community Media Day took place in 2016 and the event has been celebrated each year ever since. As it increases in popularity, the day is celebrated all throughout the world by anyone who wants to ensure that the media landscape remains inclusive for all TV, film, and mobile device artists.

Community Media Day is always scheduled to be celebrated on October 20, which almost always falls at the same time as Free Speech Week, in the third week of October. The two events are intentionally meant to be aligned together to make a stronger impact as a unifying celebration of the freedom of the press and freedom of speech as a democracy.

How to Celebrate Community Media Day

Have loads of fun celebrating this important day by getting involved in a variety of activities on Community Media Day. Get started making plans to observe the day with some of these ideas:

Host or Attend Community Media Day Event

One of the best ways to enjoy and celebrate Community Media Day is to get involved on a local level. Media companies can host events that help them build relationships with folks in the area, including showing off their space and letting folks get an up close look at the equipment they use. Check out the Community Media Day website to find resources and ideas on how to observe the day, including a toolkit for videos, social media and more.

Those who want to attend an event related to media may choose to jump in on some of the events hosted in person and online through Free Speech Week connections. Many universities around the country will be offering activities and events such as speeches and galas, while local bars or coffee houses might even be opening the mic up for a poetry slam!

Engage with Young People

Children are certainly the future of every community and celebrating Community Media Day with kids is a great way to encourage them! Whether teaching young children in school about the importance of free speech or encouraging older journalism students to be brave as they seek to become writers, this is a super day to give a boost to young minds.

Perhaps some young people are interested in becoming active in the world of radio or television, then Community Media Day would be an ideal time to allow them access to studios to learn more about equipment or even give some of the older students a moment of air time.

Secure a Community Media Day Proclamation

Those who live in a community that has not yet officially embraced Community Media Day might want to get their local government leaders involved. Write letters or make phone calls to elected officials, perhaps along with signed petitions that let them know that the people of their area are interested in making the celebration of this day official. Not sure where to begin with a proclamation? Check out the website for a sample proclamation to get things started!