Steve Bynum

Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge

Steve Bynum is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) manager for Chicago Public Media, the parent company of WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times. He was a Senior Producer at WBEZ for “Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons” and “Worldview with Jerome McDonnell,” WBEZ’s 25-year global affairs/news program for nearly two decades.

“Bitter Jester was one of WBEZ Worldview's favorite partners. As senior producer for "Worldview,” I met so many of the young activist leaders who are now using the arts to transform lives and the world! BJFA will always have a place in my heart and in my giving.”

- Steve Bynum

For “Worldview,” Steve created in-depth stories, features, series, film projects, and outreach events that connected listeners to global communities in Chicago and around the world, including “Worldview’s” weekly Global Activism series and its annual Global Activism Expo.

His operating principle is that global citizenship is the bulwark to defeat racism in its psychological and structural forms. When he began to travel abroad, Steve saw that rather than being an ethnic minority, he realized he was part of a global “majority.” Traveling and living abroad expanded his thinking, aspirations, and opportunities. As Steve says, “At that point, Racism lost its psychological grip on me, and a wall was torn down.” He wishes that young persons of color will see as an option to leave America to realize their genius in the tradition of “American Nomads,” such as Frederick Douglass, Ira Aldridge, Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin.

Steve led “Worldview” through the words of the ancient Roman playwright Terence, who wrote in one of his works, “I am human, and I think nothing human is alien to me.”

He has won numerous awards in broadcast excellence and lectures and moderates discussions on media’s role in democracy, culture, and communities. He is also a consultant on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in media.

In 2019, Steve, McDonnell, and former WBEZ producer Julian Hayda co-founded “Worldview Solutions,” an independent, nonprofit, media social enterprise inspired by the show. Worldview Solutions uses a global lens to leverage solutions-oriented storytelling, audience engagement, and other justice-centered initiatives, reflecting communities’ resilience, joy, and progress across the Great Lakes region.

Steve serves as Board President for Theatre Y and Board Vice President for Fulcrum Point New Music Project. He is also a Board Member for CircEsteem (a youth social circus) and Art Works Projects (for Human Rights).

He is a former fellow of Columbia University's Tow Center for Digital Journalism and a former international fellow at the University of Alberta’s Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life.

A University of Notre Dame graduate, Steve has a master’s in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) from Northwestern University. He is pursuing a master’s in Eastern Orthodox Theology from the University of Balamand.

Steve is a native Chicagoan (South Side!) and a massive fan of sci-fi (Doctor Who, especially), Duran Duran, foreign film and films from the 1930s pre-code era. He will binge-watch any historical period series (regardless of quality!).