Educating the Next Generation of Meredith Activists
By Gaye Hill | Videographer: Kaylin Tsukayama
Educating the Next Generation of Meredith Activists
Writer: Gaye Hill | Videographer: Kaylin Tsukayama
Adjunct faculty members La’Meshia Whittington, ’16, and Jovita Lee, ’16, formed a powerful connection with one another as Meredith students. That bond only became stronger after they graduated and continued working together as leaders in their fields. In spring 2021, they returned to Meredith to share their knowledge and rich experience by teaching a sociology course on racial equity and social justice.
In this Campus Conversation video, Whittington and Lee discuss how they met at Meredith and the social justice work they began as students that continues to this day. Now, they’re educating students so that no matter what career path they choose, they have the tools and confidence to help create more just and equitable communities, both while they’re at Meredith and once they graduate.
The upper-level seminar explores the experience of Black Americans through various lenses by providing a historical grounding in pertinent eras and events and then examining how those events have impacted Black Americans socioeconomically, environmentally, and in regards to public health.
Jovita Lee, '16
Adjunct sociology faculty member Jovita Lee, ’16, is the Senior Environmental Justice Campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity and Center Action Fund. She’s also the Policy and Partner Support Specialist for Advance Carolina. With La’Meshia Whittington, Lee co-founded Democracy Green, a community-based disaster relief organization. She is also a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Lee earned a B.A. in international studies and a Business Foundations Certificate from Meredith College. She has a Master of Public Administration from North Carolina Central University, and is earning an Ed.D in organizational leadership from Gardner-Webb University.
La’Meshia Whittington, ’16
In addition to being an adjunct sociology faculty member, La’Meshia Whittington, ’16, is the Deputy Director of Advance Carolina, the Campaigns Director of the NC Black Alliance, and Community Liaison for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. An experienced fundraiser, social scientist, environmental justice sociologist, and business development professional, Whittington is also the CEO and co-founder of Scale Academy of Performing Arts and TW2, Inc., a non-traditional satellite arts school. Whittington earned an Associate of Arts from Western Piedmont Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and criminology from Meredith College.