When I report for duty in the Moda Center back in Portland, I sit three seats over from where Candace Buckner used to sit when she worked at the Columbian. We had spoken on the phone a few times, but had never met in person until today. Candace is one of the few black women covering the NBA and I too, hope to cover the NBA some day. Talking to Candace today was refreshing because when I would look around back in the Blazers locker room, there isn’t anyone that looks likes me. Today, she told the women in the class that she knows her work can stand up against “any regular man.” She said she just makes sure she is strong and confident.
In our first day of class at the Sports Journalism Institute, Mr. Carter asked us to look around the room. He told us that no newsroom that we will ever work in will look as diverse as ours that day and that we are here to meet like-minded people that look like us because out there, in the real world, in real newsrooms, and even in our college newsrooms, it’s a challenge to do so. It was encouraging to hear from a black woman who has been successful covering professional basketball. -- Malika Andrews
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