{"id":3264,"date":"2020-12-04T21:35:07","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T21:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/?page_id=3264"},"modified":"2020-12-07T14:41:53","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T14:41:53","slug":"charityelder00","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/","title":{"rendered":"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder ’00"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Charity Elder ’00<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it came time to choose a college, she never expected she would remain so close to\u00a0home. After being accepted into 13 other colleges, \u201cI said there is no way I\u2019m staying in Hartford!\u201d <\/span>But then, \u201cThe letter from Trinity came and I was at my grandmother\u2019s house. There was a line of sight into the living room where everyone was, and I could hear them saying \u201cShe got a full ride!\u201d\u201d Elder laughed while recounting, \u201cEveryone w<\/span>as like, you\u2019re going to Trinity! Although it wasn’t my first choice, I didn\u2019t realize how much an academic scholarship\u2013\u2013that covered tuition and board\u2013\u2013would impact my life until I got older. It’s such a blessing to graduate from college debt free.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elder became deeply involved in the Trinity community<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>relishing the seminar-based classes and group discussions. She traveled to Rome to study abroad, served as an RA, and was the third woman to be president of Imani, the Black Student Union. Once she graduated<\/span>, she earned a graduate degree at New York University in Broadcast Journalism. But she never left her Trinity studies far behind,<\/span> even as she progressed in her car<\/span>eer.\u00a0Elder wove<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the knowledge she had from her<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>sociology degree into her work as a network news producer at NBC and CBS News. \u201cI\u2019ve always had a real interest in reporting on stories that directly impact people,\u201d <\/span>she\u00a0<\/span>explained. For example, as the head of video and podcast at Yahoo News <\/span>during<\/span> the 50<\/span>th<\/span> anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/span>\u2019s <\/span>P<\/span>oor <\/span>P<\/span>eople\u2019s <\/span>C<\/span>ampaign, she asked her team to come up with features focusing on poverty. Their storytelling brought to light issues Elder understood because of her background in sociology.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Later, she would apply her journalism perspective to work on the Michael Bloomberg campaign for U.S. president.\u00a0 \u201cIt was so interesting to have that opportunity,\u201d Elder reflects. As a <\/span>journalist <\/span>working on the campaign as a senior advisor for African American outreach<\/span>, she found her<\/span>self exploring the other side of politics, removing her journalistic neutrality and instead advocating for a specific candidate. \u201cI\u2019ve covered every election since 2004,\u201d Elder said, \u201cand we try to be impartial and even-handed and true to the facts to the extent that we can be.<\/span> Journalists are people too, we may make mistakes at times, but every newsroom I’ve ever worked in is made up of good people who try really hard to deliver relevant, <\/span>fact based<\/span> news to the public<\/span>.\u201d \u201cYou can\u2019t have a democracy or democratic republic without journalism. I always saw <\/span>journalism as a public service and politics is another side of that coin<\/span>.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the campaign concluded, it gave her an opportunity to redirect her focus to another<\/span> of her<\/span> passion<\/span>s<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cAfter the Bloomberg campaign ended, I got started on<\/span> a <\/span>book idea I\u2019d had in mind for a while\u2014about the rise of black women in America.\u201d As a result, Elder has embarked on a new learning experience, one in which she finds a striking parallel to her work at Trinity. Elder wrote a thesis for her undergraduate <\/span>degree, and<\/span> has found that experience essential to the book-writing process She even reached out to her thesis adviso<\/span>r, <\/span>Professor<\/span> Steven <\/span>Velocchi<\/span>. “I emailed him and said I was writing a book and I would love for you to read it.” The two have reconnected, discussing and reviewing sections of the book. Elder is delighted by t<\/span>he chance to exchange ideas with her former advisor, “Talk about coming full circle!\u201d she remarked.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As she continues to work on the manu<\/span>script, Elder is learning more and more about her subject matter, including making some Hartford connections. The abolitionist Maria W. Stewart, for example, was born in Hartford, and<\/span> in the early 1830s became the first woman of any race<\/span> to lecture publicly to a mixed audience of men and women.<\/span> Elder is finding ongoing inspiration as she reads about women who broke barriers, endured tremendous hardship, and accomplished monumental achievements despite challenging circumstances.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elder\u2019s connection to the women who came before her has help<\/span>ed her become a formidable digital media executive and a driven lifelong learner. When asked about what advice she would offer to the women who will follow her, she noted, “I absolutely believe women, and black <\/span>women in particular, should<\/span> be going for those leadership roles, and should not step back from that. How you communicate, how you assume authority and how you wield power are essential skill sets.\u201d <\/span>Elder remembers having her younger sister help her post signs on campus when she ran for president of Trinity’s student government. She noted that when you reach for the stars, it won\u2019t always work out, \u201cI lost, and <\/span>badly. <\/span><\/i>But,<\/span> you <\/span>have to<\/span> go for it,\u201d she said. Risk is part of the process, <\/span>she\u00a0<\/span>insists, and notes a famous line from President Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s \u201cCitizenship in a Republic\u201d spee<\/span>ch<\/span>.<\/span> E<\/span>ven if you fail,<\/span> it reads,<\/span> you do so \u201cdaring greatly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For young professionals, she offered this: \u201cNever let anyone take your voice. You have the right to speak.\u201d She urged <\/span>B<\/span>antams to use what resources they have on hand, and when they\u2019re ready, to offer their own time and expertise to help their fellow Trinity graduates and current students. \u201cPut your information in the Bantam Career Network!\u201d she sai<\/span>d. \u201cWe have some responsibility to help those coming behind us. Find a way to do something small.\u201d Elder herself has been a mentor to a current student and looks forward to more opportunities to offer her time to the Trinity community. In the meantime, she\u2019ll be focusing on her book\u2014and will continue to inspire the next generation of <\/span>B<\/span>antams to make their voices heard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about the Bantam Career Network? Sign up today<\/a>!<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it came time to choose a college, she never expected she would remain so close to\u00a0home. After being accepted into 13 other colleges, \u201cI said there is no way I\u2019m staying in Hartford!\u201d But then, \u201cThe letter from Trinity came and I was at my grandmother\u2019s house. There was a line of sight into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":0,"parent":2154,"menu_order":17,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3264","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBantam Check-In with Charity Elder '00 - Alumni and Families<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder '00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it came time to choose a college, she never expected she would remain so close to\u00a0home. After being accepted into 13 other colleges, \u201cI said there is no way I\u2019m staying in Hartford!\u201d But then, \u201cThe letter from Trinity came and I was at my grandmother\u2019s house. There was a line of sight into […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alumni and Families\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-07T14:41:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"145\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"144\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/\",\"name\":\"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder '00 - Alumni and Families\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-04T21:35:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-07T14:41:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Virtual Long Walk\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Bantam Check-Ins\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder ’00\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/\",\"name\":\"Alumni and Families\",\"description\":\"Alumni, families, and friends of Trinity College\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder '00 - Alumni and Families","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder '00","og_description":"When it came time to choose a college, she never expected she would remain so close to\u00a0home. After being accepted into 13 other colleges, \u201cI said there is no way I\u2019m staying in Hartford!\u201d But then, \u201cThe letter from Trinity came and I was at my grandmother\u2019s house. There was a line of sight into […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/","og_site_name":"Alumni and Families","article_modified_time":"2020-12-07T14:41:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":145,"height":144,"url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/","url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/","name":"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder '00 - Alumni and Families","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png","datePublished":"2020-12-04T21:35:07+00:00","dateModified":"2020-12-07T14:41:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2020\/12\/elder_headshot2-1.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/charityelder00\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Virtual Long Walk","item":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Bantam Check-Ins","item":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/virtuallongwalk\/bantamcheckins\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Bantam Check-In with Charity Elder ’00"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/","name":"Alumni and Families","description":"Alumni, families, and friends of Trinity College","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3264\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/alumniandfamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}