Siren magazine recognized with UNC diversity honor
Siren magazine — a student-produced publication at UNC that promotes a feminist perspective on issues surrounding gender, identity, sexuality and human rights — was selected as the student organization recipient of the 2014 University Diversity Award for its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Since the publication’s founding in 2006, several journalism school students have served as editors, writers, photographers, illustrators and designers, and associate professor Barabara Friedman has served as the magazine’s faculty adviser. Morgan Johnson, a junior multimedia major and J-school Ambassador, is co-editor for the 2013-14 school year with anthropology and public policy major Sarah Pederson.
The magazine and its editors will be recognized during the sixth annual Diversity Awards reception on Tuesday, April 15, 2014, at 3 p.m. in the Wilson Library’s Pleasants Family Assembly Room.
Considered the university’s highest recognition for diversity efforts, the University Diversity Awards offer an opportunity to recognize individuals or organizations across eight categories for exemplary service or scholarship in promoting diversity, equity, social justice, community engagement or cultural awareness.
Siren magazine was founded in 2006 to creatively and intelligently challenge the limited ways that institutions, including media, have viewed gender. In articles, essays and letters, the magazine has addressed issues such as sexual assault, abortion, body image, sexuality, global policy, poverty and leadership.
In 2011, when editors Leah Josephson and Anqi Li — both J-school students — graduated, Siren was shuttered. In 2013, women’s studies major Ping Nguyen and Johnson launched the magazine anew.
The spring issue of Siren, focused on interpersonal violence and sexual assault, will be available Thursday, April 3, and will be celebrated with a magazine launch reception from 7-9 p.m. in the Freedom Forum Conference Center on the third floor of Carroll Hall. All are welcome.
Paul Cuadros, an associate professor in the school, won the faculty UNC Diversity Award in 2013. He has taught APPLES courses that focus on issues of educational access, diversity and inclusion. He is on the Advisory Board and the Operational Board for the Scholar’s Latino Initiative (SLI), a three-year program for students from under-resourced North Carolina high schools that helps them develop an enthusiasm for higher education and prepare for college success. Cuadros initiated “SLI Academies” to broaden SLI’s impact and started a new virtual mentoring initiative for students.