Texas Tech University

Moore's past experiences transition into the classroom

Chyna Vargas

February 17, 2023

Sonia Moore

Sonia Moore is a woman with many talents and degrees. Originally from East Texas, Moore's family moved to Brownfield, where she graduated high school and attended Texas Tech as an undergraduate student.  
 
Moore majored in journalism and English, but she decided to do more and get two masters from Texas Tech in higher education and mass communications.  
 
“My children are trying to get me to go back for that doctoral degree,” Moore said, laughing. “I'm not there yet.”  
 
Moore was a reporter for five years and also did work in public relations, marketing and advertising and has been an editor for a newsletter. Currently, she is a lecturer in the College of Media & Communication and teaches Communication in Nursing, Fundamentals of Communication and Interviewing: Process and Procedures. 

Moore said celebrating Black history is not just a monthly occurrence for her.  
 
“I celebrate Black history pretty much every month,” Moore said. “My husband and I have two children, who obviously are growing up as Black Americans, and so they have to be cognizant of what it means to be an African American in society and some of the challenges that we face on a daily basis.” 
 
When it comes to Black media influences, Moore said Tyler Perry is her favorite. Perry is a director, actor, playwright and much more. Moore said he is creative when showing Black culture in his movies and shows.  
 
Moore said she also gives recognition to iconic Black reporters who have made a name for themselves, such as Bernard Shaw and Ed Bradley who worked for CBS News and other news organizations covering from politics to racial injustices.  

Students should have full transparency of who I am as a person and a professor,” Moore said.   

While she was a reporter, Moore said there were times she covering issues was made more difficult because she was Black. An example is when she had to cover Greek life in the ‘90s over a blatantly racist issue.  
 
“They had what they called ‘party in the projects' and it was a white sorority, and they went Blackface and negatively portrayed African Americans,” Moore said. “That became a huge story, and I was assigned to cover it.” 
 
Moore said it was difficult to speak with the individuals involved because they did not understand the significance of what they did and how they negatively portrayed the Black community.  
 
It was challenging to be subjective, Moore said, but she had to stay professional in spite of feeling aggravated by the ignorance.  
 
“They were entitled, and they had never been questioned about anything,” Moore said. “They thought it was just fun and [thought,] ‘Why would people get upset about it?' That was very difficult for me.” 
 
As a lecturer, Moore said she brings real life to her lessons. She said students love that element when it comes to her teachings.  
 
“'I've been around for quite a while,” Moore said. “I've had quite a few experiences, and we talk about those types of things. And I think for a lot of African American students, they feel very comfortable and coming in talking to me about certain things because I understand their perspective.”   
 
While Moore said she understands what Black students will go through in life, she said she understands students in general. She said it's important for all students to see an African -American professor walk in front of the classroom.  

“Students should have full transparency of who I am as a person and a professor,” Moore said.  

She said regardless of race, students are encouraged to talk her about anything.

“I think it's important for not only our current student population but for prospective students to know as well,” Moore said. “That they're welcome here. That there is diversity here. We have a lot of things on campus that we didn't have when I was here.”  
 
Moore said Dean David D. Perlmutter, Ph.D., has been influential when it comes to recognizing Black excellence. She said Texas Tech and CoMC are striving to be more inclusive and making strides for the Black community.  
 
“I love working in this college,” Moore said. “The people I've worked with are amazing and this was a wonderful transition for me.” 

 

[Read more Black History Month stories]