For the third year in a row, I had the pleasure of being a panelist at Pop Conference 2026, hosted by USC’s Thornton School of Music. This year’s conference theme, Mayhem! Pop Music and Writing in Perilous Times, invited presentations exploring the intersections of music, media, and the social and political urgencies that shape them.

As soon as I received the call for papers email for the conference, I knew what I had to write about: Black media. Specifically, I wanted to talk about the state of Black-owned and Black-targeted media (radio, print, news, etc.) at a time that’s become increasingly hostile to historically marginalized communities, and what that means in terms of access to trust-worthy news, information, and entertainment content tailored to African American media consumers.

My panel, Media Landscapes, kicked off day one of the conference. I joined fellow presenters Jenessa Williams, Emmie Head, J.D. Considine, and moderator Sean Nye for an invigorating morning of conversations about fan culture, AI and copyright, and music publications long out of print.

Closing out the conference Saturday afternoon, I had the honor of moderating the Mayhem in the Delta: Haunting Grounds and Supernatural Sonics in Sinners roundtable, which featured Dr. Regina Bradley, Josslyn Luckett, and Christine Zanfagna. Not a bad lead in to Oscars Sunday.

This year’s conference felt a little less hectic than years past, but it was no less inspiring. I’m already thinking about what I might present next year. In the meantime, click below to watch my 2026 PopCon presentation, Voice of the People: Black Media at a Crossroads in the 21st Century. And a special thank you to media icons Tom Joyner and Dyana Williams, whom I interviewed as part of my research.