Lisa Durden

Lisa Durden is a dynamic force in media—a sought-after public speaker, panelist, moderator, national TV contributor, and award-winning filmmaker whose voice commands attention and ignites change. Whether moderating a Fireside Chat with Olympic Boxing Champion Claressa Shields at The Great Lakes Women’s Conference, On-The-Set! Selling Your Goods & Services to The TV & Film Industry ( New Jersey Small Business Association), leading the Balancing Motherhood & Journalism panel and interviewing singer Syleena Johnson for The Sidebar Podcast (produced by the New York Association of Black Journalists), or guiding the Art Is Activism panel at The State Of The People Power Tour, Lisa is recognized for her unapologetic insight and fearless storytelling.

She has shared her expertise as a panelist for The HBCU FirstLook Film Let’s Talk: Careers and Let’s Talk: Business series, and her expert commentary has been featured on esteemed platforms including ABC News 20/20, CBS News, NewsNation’s Dan Abrams Live and On Balance, Revolt TV’s Revolt Black News, Fox Soul’s Being Black With Tammi Mac, The Dr. Oz Show, My9 Network’s Chasing News series, and Newsweek, among others.

Lisa’s portfolio is as diverse as the communities she represents. She has produced award-winning films and critically acclaimed unscripted series that shine a light on issues of importance to underrepresented communities, including: Producer of Diary Of A Killer (ABC 20/20), Supervising Story Producer of the Telly Award-winning, GLAAD-nominated docu-series The Conversations Project (Hulu), Associate Producer of Neighborhood Wars 2 (A&E), Director of The HBCU FirstLook Let’s Talk Series (TheGrio), Producer of Paris Blues In Harlem (PBS Online Festival Finalist), Assistant Director of Conversations With Mom (Verizon PSA), and Girls Matter Documentary, amongst others.

In September 2024, Lisa expanded her impact into podcasting, launching the limited series Vice President Kamala Harris: She Ready! The Podcast with Lisa Durden, where she served as both host and executive producer. The series was nominated for the prestigious New York Association of Black Journalists “Dyana Williams Award for Excellence in Podcast/Radio Program.”

Her contributions have garnered widespread recognition, including being featured in Rolling Out PRESENTS: Entertainment Innovators – Shaping Visual Storytelling & Cultural Narratives (2024), named SwagHer Magazine’s Wednesday Wonder Woman, and highlighted by Glambitious Magazine’s Making Black History Month (2021).

 A proud graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Lisa earned her MFA in Social Documentary Film. Her name is synonymous with courage, resilience, and vision—amplifying underrepresented stories and advocating for justice with heart and grit. #ClapForThat!

 During a guest appearance on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, in a heated exchange, Durden “Boo-hoo-hoo[ed]” Carlson when he complained about white people being excluded from a Black Lives Matter Memorial Day event. Carlson called her “hostile and separatist and crazy.” “You’re demented actually,” he said. “You’re sick and what you’re saying is disgusting.” Durden’s remarks spurred both criticism and praise on social media. Forty-eight hours later, with just one week left of her teaching session, Durden’s employers at Essex County College suspended, then two weeks later, fired her.

Essex County College President Anthony Munroe issued a statement after the professor’s appearance on the show, writing that the college “was immediately inundated with feedback from students, faculty and prospective students and their families expressing frustration, concern and even fear that the views expressed by a college employee would negatively impact their experience on the campus.” But a freedom of Information discovery showed that in the 13 days in between Durden’s appearance on Carlson’s show and her suspension from the college, Essex officials never received any emails from faculty, students or prospective students objecting to her appearance on the program. Just one written by a random man from North Carolina.

For her courage to speak out and be heard despite political pressure, the Columbia Academic Freedom Council is honored to present Lisa Durden with the 2025 Academic Freedom Award.