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Webby Events November 9, 2022

UNPCKD: A Virtual Event Series with The Webbys & NAACP

This season The Webby Awards partnered with the NAACP to convene leaders to explore the most pressing issues facing communities of color online, and provided actionable insights into how we as a whole can better advocate and work towards building a more inclusive internet as we head into a critical midterm election.

EVENT 1

UNPCKD: Essentials for Turning Engagement into Action

In this first event, Jordana Jarrett, Manager of Editorial Strategy (Webby Awards), spoke with Vanessa Mbonu, Vice President of Digital Marketing and Communications (NAACP). Together, they discussed the internet’s role in civic engagement and the dutiful actions of The NAACP. To go more in-depth on the subject, Vanessa shared with Jordana the goals of The NAACP and how they are measuring success for the upcoming election. Later in the talk, Jordana and Vanessa spoke about the historical barriers, the rampant spread of misinformation, and its effects on black voters and voters of color. In response to the obstacles that still exist today, Vanessa reiterated that the NAACP wants to “make voting as easy and accessible to all people as possible.” In the end, they wrapped up the discussion with practical ways to help increase voter engagement and final words of advice from Vanessa. Watch our first episode titled Essentials for Turning Engagement into Action for a deep dive into politics, individual voter power, and more. (Aired Oct 20, 2022, at 1 P.M. EST).

Watch the entire discussion below!

It’s a marathon. It’s definitely not a sprint”
— Vanessa Mbonu on voting, elections and getting results

EVENT 2

UNPCKD: Essentials for Designing an Online Revolution

Jordana Jarrett, Manager of Editorial Strategy (Webby Awards), joins Chardee Scott, Multimedia Manager (NAACP), and Sabiha Basrai, Graphic Designer & Social Justice Organizer (Design Action Collective). In the discussion they focused on the importance of visual design both today, historically, and how it can be a medium to invoke social change. In a breakdown, they discussed the small details of optical elements such as colors, designs, various fonts and their ability to create strong, successful campaigns. We also gained exclusive insight into behind-the-scenes development of visual design on recent works by Chardee and Sabiha. The projects mentioned in the chat helped demonstrate the value behind creating an impactful campaign. If you’re a creative looking to make a difference through your art, join this conversation for a deeper understanding on how to be a responsible designer that catalyzes movements and moments. (Aired October 27, 2022 at 1pm EST).

Watch the entire discussion below!

Sometimes a moment turns into a movement”
— Chardee Scott

EVENT 3

UNPCKD: Essentials for Responding to Crisis Online

Jordana Jarett, Manager of Editorial Strategy (Webby Awards), joins Vanessa Mbonu, Vice President of Digital Marketing and Communications (NAACP), and Jenni Olson, Senior Director of Social Media Safety (GLAAD). In this third and final episode of UNPCKD, they talked about current online crises of harassment and hate targeted towards Black and LGBTQ+ communities on social media. Both panel members agreed that although these communities are major contributors to the livelihood of these apps, there is less advocacy for them, and that corporations would rather capitalize off hate speech than create a safe place for all users on their platforms. Rightfully this caused an appropriate level of outrage between Vanessa and Jenni due to the lack of moderation. Later on in the episode, Vanessa makes a powerful statement when she said, “Anger is a useless emotion; you have to turn it into action.” Marginalized people are still being attacked unfathomably, so Jenni and Vanessa have dedicated their careers to ensuring safety on all social media platforms. Listen to episode 3 of UNPCKD titled Essentials for Responding to Online Crisis for the conversation on responsibly managing technology in this new and emerging digital age. (Aired Nov 3, 2022 at 1 P.M. EST)

Watch the entire discussion below!

We all deserve to feel safe on social media platforms”
— Jenni Olsen
If you are interested in partnering with The Webby Awards on any events please reach out to our Partnerships Producer Taylor at taylor@webbyawards.com!
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