Articles/Reports
Barrow Award 2012
Federico Subervi: The man walking in the path of Lionel C. Barrow Jr.
By Petra Guerra
It has been an honor to have been part of the committee to elect Federico Subervi as the winner of the Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award.
In trying to write up something to speak about Federico’s life and why he was selected for this award, I spoke to several folks and everyone insisted insisted that Federico functions just as Barrow would. Barrow, in spite of having already retired continued to fight for equality and inclusion.His accomplishments
were numerous; the creation
on the Commission on the Status
of Minorities and later the creation of
Minorities
and Communication
are great
examples
of Barrow’s
work. But
he continued
the
struggle,
even when
he was
ridiculed
and criticized.
He never stopped, what others
thought of him was not an obstacle in his struggle to make
sure that AEJMC was inclusive.
Looking at Federico’s work, he is
the reflection of Barrow. He is tough
skinned, criticisms just fly above his
head. Even after many accomplishments,
he established the Center for
the Study of Latino Media and Markets
and led research on emergency communication
and mentoring of numerous
students. Many of these students
are now professionals in the field of
journalism and mass communication.
And the establishing of Latinitas
Inc., the not for profit organization, is
dedicated to empower Latina youth
via media and technology.
There are his numerous Fulbright
research appointments; this includes
his stint in Brazil in 1988- 1989 and
Chile in 2011. Some of the students he
has mentored refer to him as “an innovative
educator” always creating much
needed classes in politics, advertising,
and ethics in the media to name a few.
Let us also include the numerous papers
and chapters about minorities in
journalism and mass communication
he has published. Numerous accomplishments,
yet not enough for him to
stop or slow down, he continues his
work, producing his latest book, “The
Mass Media and Latino Politics.” And
the list goes on and on. He is presently
looking into Latino consumers, among
other research.
Like Barrow, Federico does not
see the end of the tunnel; he continues
his research and work. He has served
on numerous boards and commissions
including heading the Commission
on the Status of Minorities and
just recently elected to the Board of
Directors of the Latino Public Radio
Consortium and serve as the academic
officer of the National Association of
Hispanic Journalists. And best of all, in
his own words, “proud of my daughter,
who is now a communication
professional on her own.”
Federico is a very deserving
Barrow Award winner; he is walking
in the steps of Barrow and just as
Barrow, does not know when to call it
quits.