James Rada

James Rada serves as Professor and Chair of Journalism at Ithaca College's Roy H. Park School of Communications, where he has been a faculty member since 2011 and received the Faculty Excellence Award in 2020.

His research centers on uncovering marginalized narratives in American history through documentary filmmaking and critical media analysis. Key interests include Documentary Journalism, African American Studies, and Race-Gender-Ethnicity in Media, driven by his commitment to the African proverb: "Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter."

Rada's creative scholarship manifests in award-winning documentaries exploring civil rights history, including With INFINITE HOPE: MLK and The Civil Rights Movement (2018) and Meet Me at Equality: The People's March on Washington, with Ithaca students serving as associate producers. His prior Howard University work includes Deeds Not Words: The Buffalo Soldiers in World War II (2011) and Brown @ 50: A New Generation of Footsoldiers (2004).

Scientific Awards:

• Ithaca College Faculty Excellence Award (2020)

He actively integrates students into documentary production while teaching Visual Journalism, Documentary Journalism, and Media Literacy courses. His scholarship critically examines African American representation in mass media, extending his departmental focus through practice-based research.