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L to R: Moya Bailey, Sarah Jackson, and Brooke Foucault Welles. Photo by Matt Modoono.

#HashtagActivism, authored by Moya Bailey (Northeastern University), Brooke Foucault Welles (Northeastern University, CAMD’s Department of Communication Studies), and Sarah Jackson (University of Pennsylvania), has been recognized with the Applied/Public Policy Research Award from the International Communication Association (ICA). The ICA aims to advance the scholarly study of human communication by encouraging and facilitating excellence in academic research worldwide. In #HashtagActivism, which was recently published in March, the authors examine the rise of internet activism as evidenced by movements such as #SayHerName, #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter and #GirlsLikeUs and their effects on culture, climate and justice. Congratulations to Professors Bailey, Foucault Welles, and Jackson, as well as all of the 2020 Award Winners!

More details from the ICA press release about the 2020 Award Winners below.

Applied/Public Policy Research Award:

Awarded to: Moya Bailey (Northeastern U), Brooke Foucault Welles (Northeastern U) and Sarah Jackson (U of Pennsylvania)

These highly engaged scholars have produced outstanding and impactful research on the ways in which marginalized groups have reappropriated social media as a tool for shaping mainstream media and public discourse about issues of race and gender. Their work has been published in leading journals and presented in several ICA divisions and interest groups. Their recent book #Hashtag Activism, published by MIT Press, is an exemplary manifestation of rigorous mix-method scholarship that incorporates the lived experiences of practitioners in an innovative and fascinating way. Bailey, Welles, and Jackson exemplify a new generation of scholars who are redefining what public impact scholarship looks like and how communication researchers can engage diverse audiences. Their research has demonstrated measurable impact outside academia in reports to leading organizations, such as the Knight Foundation; through wide coverage in leading media, including the New York Times, BBC, NPR, the Boston Globe; and in many public lectures in community and professional venues, including keynote talks given in prominent international conferences. To quote from their recommendation letters: “They epitomize the values that the ICA Applied Research Award seeks to recognize and amplify; their timely and fascinating line of work promises to continue to generate impact in the near future.”

(Committee: Chair: Idit Manosevitch, Members: Jung-Hyun Kim, Trisha Lin, Aaron Shaw, Michelle Violanti)