A deeper look into the Nyumburu Cultural Center Media Collective 

“Roots in our roots,” a podcast episode that discusses the significance of Black hair. The hosts talk about “The CROWN Act,” a legal movement to outlaw hair discrimination in all 50 states. These are the kinds of stories the Nyumburu Cultural Center Media Collective has been producing for the last 12 years. 

The Nyumburu Cultural Center Media Collective is a program used as a way to speak out against social issues with people of color. They utilize documentaries, social commentary shows, blogs, and their podcasts “Blog Talk Radio” show  to reach their audience. The Nyumburu Cultural Center, which sponsors The Black Explosion, allows the media collective to broadcast from their headquarters. 

The collective, formerly known as “UNIV TV,” has been active for the past 12 years.

The group was started by Solomon Comissiong, assistant director of the Nyumburu Cultural Center, and three other students. 

“We talked a lot about social justice issues that impact Black people not just in this country, but throughout the diaspora,” Comissong said. He added how misrepresentation with coverage in the corporate media led him and the other students to, “create their own media.”

Throughout their time in the collective, Comissiong and the team of students have produced documentaries such as “State Sponsored Savagery,” which addressed the historical context of state sponsored violence of Black people and examines the consequences of slave patrols and police brutality incidents. The documentary juxtaposes the use of slave patrols to monitor and recapture enslaved peoples to the issue of police brutality against Black people today.  

“We wanted to get to the origins. This didn’t just start out of nowhere in a vacuum. This started with the advent of slave patrols. That’s the first known police entity in this country,” Comissiong said.

The collective also worked on a documentary called “Hip Hop, White Supremacy, & Capitalism” which focused on the manipulation of Hip Hop culture by the mainstream media. They brought on media experts and independent rappers who shared their perspective on the issue. 

The documentary examines the Telecom Act of 1966, which resulted in the decrease of Black ownership of radio. The documentary reveals how predominately white corporations bought out independent record labels, prioritizing the production of music that focused on Black-on-Black crime and violence, according to Comissiong.

“It’s a powerful documentary that [includes] lots of research and visual information and showing people how this happened.”

The biggest show produced by the collective called “The National Form on Mass Incarceration,” had an audience of over 10,000 people. The collective incorporated experts who have worked with prison justice for several years.

A small number of students consistently is now working with Comissiong to create a literary magazine called, “Liberated Perspectives.”  Students are able to submit poetry and commentary articles, allowing the collective to engage the community. 

Darrah Somerville, a junior media and digital communications major, joined the collective her freshman year where she found the organization at the First Look Fair. She expressed her interest in producing media that focuses on human rights and healthcare issues.. 

Somerville enjoys hearing different generations and perspectives speak on issues that occur in everyone’s day lives. She appreciates how people can become more educated and informed through listening to podcasts or watching documentaries. 

When asked what her preferred style of media that she creates with the collective, Somerville expanded on her interest in podcasting. She enjoys conducting research and has the ability to inform herself on new topics that are discussed in the collective’s podcast episodes. Her favorite podcast episode was when the collective discussed mental health and the lack of resources for african americans with health care providers. 

“It was my favorite because I just wasn’t aware. It just brought a different perspective for me,” Somerville said.

Commissiong said the collective wants to “continue doing the work” creating new content for their audience and wish to utilize new technology to build on their video programs. 

“Our audience has no restrictions, but we do report from a Black perspective,” Comissiong said. He hopes to attract “anyone that can gain from that information that’s being disseminated from the microphone, from the camera, [or] from the pen.” He wants as many people as possible that are willing to listen and watch no matter what race they are.

Somerville hopes the collective can work with WMUC and expand their audience and gain more feedback from listeners.“Having [the collective] on our campus new station could also bring more listeners and bring more awareness,” she said. 

The Media Collective can be reached through the UNITV media Instagram page and within their  bio is their “Blog Talk” radio show. The documentaries can be found on the Nyumburu Youtube page. Podcast episodes and be received by emailing Commissiong.