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‘Why Race Matters’ – read a Q&A with guest Enjoyiana Nururdin
April 28, 2025 Leave a Comment
Capital Times local government reporter Enjoyiana Nururdin discusses the challenges of being a Black journalist as a guest on an episode in the new season of Why Race Matters.
For some, it’s a balancing act — navigating authenticity while meeting the expectations of viewers and listeners. This dynamic can reflect a larger tension — adapting to systems not built to include them while preserving the integrity of their voices and work.
Watch a season preview 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, on PBS Wisconsin. Full episodes premiere 6 p.m. Mondays, May 5-June 23, at whyracematters.org and on the free PBS app!
PBS Wisconsin caught up with Nururdin for a glimpse into her role as a reporter, how she believes politics in Madison have changed and stayed the same since the COVID-19 pandemic and what she hopes viewers take away from watching Why Race Matters.
PBS Wisconsin: How do you present the humanity of the people you report on and the stories you tell?
Enjoyiana Nururdin: In this day and age where news moves as fast as you can blink, it’s important to slow down a little bit to make sure that I’m understanding a situation. In my particular identity as a young, professional Black woman who was born and raised in Madison, there are a lot of things that come across my desk. I try to slow down and take each bit of information and take each source as they come to me and really get organized.
I’ve gone back to starting simple when it comes to stories because sometimes it takes a document where you’re just laying out, who are all the players in this situation? What stake do they have in this information? What role do they play? What’s their opinion? What’s their take? Are they critical? Are they in favor of? And, that’s just particularly in politics in Madison. Doing that also allows me to see who is in their networks. Slowly but surely, the web starts to unravel.
PBS Wisconsin: What do you value most as a Black journalist?
Nururdin: What’s important to me about reporting as a person of color, a Black woman in communities of color and in communities that are more disadvantaged or don’t have seats at the table, is that my journalism is also providing education. And so in some of the stories that I’ve done, I tried to bring in a little bit of education or tried to bring in a little bit of an explanation of how a system works.
PBS Wisconsin: What topics interest you the most as a Black journalist?
Nururdin: The intersectionality of race, gender and class are important topics to me. Seeing how Black women specifically are at the forefront doing the work, leading the charge. There is just so much history with all of these themes and things that tie together and creating a solution and then navigating that against the government and against what boundaries and bureaucratic processes they have to abide by when they enter that system. And then seeing how they navigate after.
PBS Wisconsin: How did you become a guest on Why Race Matters?
Nururdin: I worked with [PBS Wisconsin producer] Ali [Khan] at the Simpson Street Free Press in the past, and he reached out to let me know that he worked with the show. I was like, “Heck yeah!” I’ve been talking about race and journalism in some of my networks for a while, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is the perfect opportunity!” And it turns out [Why Race Matters host] Angela [Fitzgerald] knows my mom, so that community connection is always nice.
I knew this was going to be fun. I was anxious at first because I’m not familiar with scripted and taped recordings for TV. I could talk your ear off, but I’m not that familiar with TV. But the conversation we had ended up being just very beautiful, very healing and very transparent for the times that we’re dealing with in journalism.
PBS Wisconsin: Did appearing on Why Race Matters help you manage the responsibilities you have in any way?
Nururdin: There are a lot of things that go into being a Black journalist and I think it is important to create safe spaces where you can just exist and not feel as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. It was also important to build networks and have community [with host Angela Fitzgerald and co-guest Earl Arms]. It also felt good to be seen as a young professional.
PBS Wisconsin: What message would you like viewers to come away with after watching your episode of Why Race Matters?
Nururdin: It’s important that people educate themselves and get connected to quality public information like public TV and public radio. Those are good places to start. Then, I would urge people to find ways to get connected to the world around them and really get involved, not just in the democratic process by voting, but by encouraging other people to vote and stay active in the world around them.
