Wanda Lloyd is a woman, an African American, an editor, author and public speaker who has used her penchant for writing to be an inspiration to many.
Lloyd is a retired newspaper editor and a former associate professor/ former chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Savannah State University, Savannah, GA. Over the course of her career, Lloyd has used her passion for writing and editing to challenge the status quo and discuss meaningful topics such as education, politics, race, social justice, religion and more. Recently, she has inspired the next generation by speaking about and sharing her novel, Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism.
As described on Lloyd's website, "Coming Full Circle is the memoir of an African American woman who grew up privileged and educated in the segregated culture of the American South before and during the twentieth-century civil rights movement. Coming Full Circle is a self-reflective exploration of the author’s life journey—from growing up in coastal Savannah, Georgia, to editing roles at seven daily newspapers, and finally back to Savannah to make a difference in her childhood community."
Lloyd recently spoke in my Gender, Race and Media class at Baylor University and I was both encouraged and inspired by her. During our class, Lloyd shared about her upbringing growing up in the Black middle class. Despite laws that restricted her, Lloyd grew up to become one of the nation’s highest-ranking newspaper journalists, and among the first African American women to be the top editor of a major newspaper.
Throughout her career as an editor, and even as a professor, she faced many adversities. As a person of color and a woman, Lloyd was often overlooked and dismissed, but she didn't let that silence her. Being a young woman who has spent some time in the workforce, I was inspired to hear her talk about how she learned to be comfortable with her opinions and share them more freely.
"If you have something to say, just say it. It's likely that you are the expert and you know more about it than anyone else in the room," she told our class. "Get comfortable speaking up."
These words were extremely empowering to me. I have never been one to boldly share my opinions for fear of getting in the way or stepping on someone's toes, but Lloyd's words made me realize how important it is for me to share my opinions.
Her words have stuck with me over the last week since she spoke to our class. My new challenge for myself is to speak my mind and voice my opinions, even when it may be uncomfortable. I know that I have the knowledge and insights to speak with authority on certain topics, and when those topics are discussed I should share my insights.
I'm grateful that Lloyd took the time to come to our class and encourage each of us to overcome the barriers that stand in our way. My hope is that each person walked away feeling more qualified and more equipped to go out and enact change in their own way.