Marquita Robinson, Los-Angeles-based comedy screenwriter and producer, will present Southeast Missouri State Universitys 25th annual Michael Davis Lecture on Wednesday, April 7.
Robinsons free virtual lecture is scheduled for 6 p.m. A viewing of the keynote will be open to the public at the Rust Center for Media at 325 Broadway St. Face coverings will be required, and social distancing guidelines will be in place.A Zoom link will be available to those who want to attend virtually.
The Michael Davis Lecture recognizes the contributions of African Americans in the media. The event honors the late Michael Davis, a journalism student at Southeast who died as a result of a hazing incident. In 1997, the then Department of Mass Communication held the first Michael Davis Lecture to honor his memory as part of the Universitys Black History Month activities. More than 150 faculty, staff and students regularly attend the annual event.
Robinsons keynote will focus on Imposter Syndrome, the internal experience of believing one is not as competent or worthy of their success as others may perceive them to be.
In this era of social reckoning our nation is facing, media professionals are having to come to terms with the responsibilities we bear as storytellers, as truth tellers who influence society, said Tamara Zellars Buck, chair of the Department of Mass Media. Its especially important that we better understand the stresses African American media professionals experience as they try to genuinely represent both mainstream and black audiences. This is a perfect time for this topic, and Im excited to hear Marquita share her experiences.
Robinson’s professional work includes writing for the Emmy-nominated comedy New Girl, as well as for the Starz show Survivors Remorse. She served as both writer and story editor on the television shows GLOW and Youre the Worst. Among her early professional credits were a writing role on The Sweetest Part and a stint as a showrunners assistant and social media manager on Black-ish.
Robinson attended the prestigious film school at the University of Southern California after earning degrees in theater and journalism at Washington and Lee University.
This event is sponsored by the Department of Mass Media. For more information or to obtain virtual event access, contact (573) 651-5104.