Dulcie Lives On! Episode 4 - Media Invisibility by UCSB Black Studies

Episode By: Annabelle Bellamy, Fabiola Pascual, Maria Castillejo Huanosta and Ceci Saldivar

Artwork by: Chevon Booysen

Description: Media Invisibility is the fourth episode of the podcast series Dulcie Lives On in which we discuss the role of news outlets in the ongoing erasure of ANC activist Dulcie September. Ms. September was assassinated in her French home-office on March 29th, 1988 and her murder has remained an unsolved mystery ever since. Although happening in France, our episode wanted to investigate how US-news sources were reporting on her death and the level of significance or lack thereof of Dulcie’s life and death to the American consumer. We chose to focus on two leading American news sources, the New York Times and the Washington Post and the stories they posted a day after Dulcie’s death, March 30th, 1988. Utilizing our combined disciplines of global studies, english, art history, and gender and feminist studies, we created a panel-like discussion in which we formally analyzed narrative choices, visual components, and relevant contextualization within the American reports of Dulcie’s death and comment on how these elements contribute to the invisibility of Dulcie in the media, especially ones outside of France. Media is an integral part of memorializing important figures in history and when these figures are inadequately archived, the memory of these individuals and their contributions to society often are lost to time. In our research, we had discovered that this was the case for Ms. September, as reports of her death outside of France were often lacking in content quality. Our goal is to provide a lens through our specialized disciplines as a means of probing into the issues with the lack of coverage on Dulcie’s assasination. Despite dillegency in her work as an ANC anti-apartheid activist, her legacy was erased from the public eye by international media outlets. By discussing this phenomenon through our expertise, we are able to create a picture as to why this is the case for Dulcie in hopes to finally bring her story into light, and perhaps even achieve justice for her murder and preserve her legacy as an activist. Ms. September’s invisibility is a circumstance that many activists alike experience due to a status-quo that is regulated through mainstream media. News outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post hold power and influence over American consumers, so oftentimes they are responsible for what narratives are advertised and what narratives become lost to time.