Journos of Color

We highlight work from writers and journalists of color. You can follow us on Twitter, and also submit work you think should be recognized.

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Guernica || June 2, 2014

Writer Kiese Laymon talks with the director of Freedom Summer about the Mississippi Delta, the role of music in the civil rights movement, and showing young people “how our story is their story.”

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Gawker || June 7, 2014

An interview with Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah on her work as an educator and writer, the subjects she pursues, the necessity of longform journalism, and the vulnerability writers must exhibit.

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How strategically choreographed, racialized fear built prisons out of broken windows.

Medium.com, July 22, 2014.

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Colorlines || May 21, 2014

"It’s reassuring that so many white people have a vested — or at least passing — interest in consuming art that deals with race. At the same time I found it unsettling to view art by a black artist about racism in an audience that’s mostly white. It reinforced the idea that black people’s histories are best viewed but not physically experienced."

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Guernica || August 1, 2014

The author on crafting new sounds, creating female characters, and portraying sex in literature.

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Excellent advice all around

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From our friends at Buzzfeed!

Hey all! We’re Heben and Tracy, writers at BuzzFeed.

The recent appointment of Emma Carmichael as Jezebel's new editor in chief — over longtime deputy editor Dodai Stewart has prompted many conversations about what it's like to be a writer/editor of color in the already precarious world of journalism.

The world of New York/coastal media is elite and insular -- but for journalists of color around the country who are outside the curtain, we think it would be helpful for them (and us) to share with them our thoughts on and frustrations (and inspirations) with our profession.

We want you to contribute to a BuzzFeed post rounding up advice from prominent journalists of color that's directed at up-and-coming writers and editors of color."

 1. What advice would you give to young/new journalists who are just starting in the field?

 2. What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you first started?

 3. And this great question from Anna Holmes’ Bookends column: Is there anything you did as a writer starting out that you now regret?

 To be clear, your answers do not have to be explicitly about the Jezebel thing; we’re aiming for a much bigger, broader discussion.

 We’d like to get a solid paragraph from you, but you should definitely feel free to go longer. We’re more than happy to keep your identity anonymous if you choose; we don’t want to put anyone in any sticky situations in this already sticky world of journalism. At the very least, we'd like to include your role at your publication (or whether you're a freelancer) and a general sense of whether you work online or in print or on broadcast primarily. Email these responses to [email protected] or [email protected] by EOD Friday.

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a quick note

Things have been quiet here, but I'm working on changing that, so please, send submissions! We want to publicize your work, and everything else!

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This is worth your time.

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AlterNet || February 23, 2014 *Here's one truth, black folk are all home grown Negroes in one space and international blacks in another. In other words, apparent privilege is often attached to location.*

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Dexter Mullins: Desegregation funding dries up in Little Rock, but problems remain

Al Jazeera America || February 23, 2014

Over the next three years cross-town busing programs will gradually wind down, magnet schools created specifically to alleviate segregation problems will stop accepting new applications and the school districts will return to neighborhood-based zones, which the superintendents acknowledge could lead to an increase in school segregation based on the racial makeup of Little Rock's different neighborhoods.

So in what could be called the cradle of desegregation, education administrators and parents are left with the same question that bedevil many schools across the country: What happens when the notion of returning to "local'' schools solidifies the very segregation people vowed to fight?

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Journalism Jobs for Journalists Who Love Jobs

The American Prospect is hiring an associate editor.

Also, ProPublica is looking for interns. The gig pays $700 a week and is based in New York.

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Apply to the Untitled Ezra Klein Project

You've heard about Ezra Klein's new venture at Vox Media?

If not, here are the details.

And this? This is the application. Check it out.

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Apply to The American Prospect's Writing Fellowship

You know what you should do? You should apply for The American Prospect's writing fellowship, a fantastic program that has produced alumni like Ezra Klein, Dana Goldstein, and Adam Serwer. It's a full-time job that pays a competitive, entry-level wage.

It's totally worth it.

And yes, while the deadline has passed, I have it on good word that they're still taking applications.

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Narrative.ly || February 12, 2013

From a Burger King booth in Queens, a seventy-five-year-old matchmaker pairs Korean-Americans the old-fashioned way.

[cordjefferson]

The third issue of SPOOK comes out a week from today. SPOOK is a black “literary arts mash-up” founded by Jason Parham, and the theme for this run is “home.” I’ve got a piece in there about a day I traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2008. Elsewhere in the issue there’s work from great writers like Josie Duffy, Mat Johnson, Victor LaValle, and Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts.

If you’re interested, you can pick up a copy in New York at places like PowerHouse, BookCourt, McNally Jackson, and others. You’ll also be able to order it online here.

Black writers are all around you!

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I’m hardpressed to think of an internship that offers more value than this one. If you want to try your hand at journalism with one of the most prestigious English-language publications in the world, you could do worse than to apply. Go for it.