( ENSPIRE She Did That ) Terrika Foster-Brasby Sits Down With ENSPIRE to Discuss Women in News Media and Obstacles in the Industry.
ENSPIRE Contributor: Elizabeth Casillas
Multimedia journalist, producer, and on-air host Terrika Foster-Brasby has done it all. From her work with the WNBA and NCAAW to covering the NBA, NFL, and NCAA, Foster-Brasby rose to each occasion. Even now, on the espnW’s podcast, Around The Rim, she has shown her capabilities and has made her name synonymous with women’s basketball.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in Pre-Law, Foster-Brasby returned to her childhood love of journalism by receiving a master’s degree in New Media Journalism. Inspired by ESPN’s Robin Roberts and women’s basketball legend Cynthia Cooper, she specialized in the sports journalism field. Starting as a woman of color in a male-dominated career, Foster-Brasby had plenty of obstacles to overcome. She came across a lot of unsolicited opinions, and she has had to look past them and understand one person cannot please everyone.
“Some people just have character flaws, and you can’t control other people’s character flaws,” Foster-Brasby said. Even right now. Foster-Brasby is still dealing with people questioning her place in sports journalism.
The way Foster-Brasby has dealt with these issues has changed throughout the years. When she first started in this industry, she would go out of her way to straighten her hair or make sure her earrings weren’t too big. Nowadays, as she stated, she is at a point where she does not need to make these accommodations.
“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” Foster-Brasby said. “I belong here.”
The treatment of women of color in this industry has improved since Foster-Brasby first started. This year especially has shown business owners and CEOs that it is vital to have Black women in the team. It is important to have that diversity in offices and boardrooms, but even though this idea has been accepted, there are still various tasks left to do to complete this idea. “I see people working to make things better, and I applaud them for that, but we still have a long way to go,” Foster-Brasby said.
Keep up Foster-Brasby at @SheKnowsSports_ on Twitter and Instagram.
