As a Black girl growing up in Atlanta, my understanding of the world was largely shaped by Black music and activism. With my childhood stomping grounds being the blueprint for the civil rights movement in the South, including strong Black women into my writing is not a decision I make whenever I write. It is inherent. Whether it is as an intern or content creator, as a Black writer it can be difficult to grapple with the stories you know what to tell and what you think people expect from you. In journalism, newsrooms tend to be overwhelmingly white and male. When stories are pitched about race, oftentimes there may not be a person of color in the newsroom to write it from the perspective of a person of color in America. Coming from a place where I always heard our stories being sung or articulated from those who looked like us, this proved to be a challenge for me as a college student. Many of the internships I worked were in predominantly white newsrooms. Although these newsrooms covered racial injustice, I made a commitment to myself to create journalism that did not only feed on Black tragedy but also made space for Black joy. This meant advocating for quotes from Black women that I felt showed them as more than one-dimensional. I wanted stories with my byline attached to them to make people feel like they were having a conversation with whoever I was covering. Because newsrooms have not historically been diverse, by writing in a voice that I would want to read and that the sources I listen to feel comfortable speaking to I hope to make Black stories written by Black journalists the norm in newsrooms even when social justice is not the hot topic.

Atlanta has molded me into the journalist I am today. With its rich black history and continued representation of black excellence, my hometown has given me the confidence to believe that my possibilities are endless and has shaped the stories I look for today as a journalist. With only a ten-minute train ride from my home to the heart of downtown Atlanta, I was able to immerse myself in the history of the civil rights movement and more. The incredible documentation of those pivotal moments in history became especially intriguing to me. Photographs that captured the moments in action of Americans risking their lives for a better future put the present into perspective for me as a young person. In the Center for Civil and Human Rights, across the street from the historic Centennial Olympic, photos spanned from the 1950s and 1960s, to current struggles for civil and human rights around the world. As I walked through the circular building, you could feel how different photographs struck an emotional chord with each visitor, even without having the photos in the form of words. I see my whole city through this lens. Every corner and every street has a piece of history. From my first job in high school to the country’s #1 historically black college, it all connects to the reason I have fallen in love with storytelling. As history continues to be made everyday, I want to be able to create accurate depictions of the individual stories and the overall impact for future generations to feel and learn from. As the city continues to grow, I feel myself changing as well. The neighborhood I grew up in is gradually becoming more affluent, something that I would never imagine happening as a kid. As the city progresses, it often feels like the city is at stake of losing its rich history of change and equality for all. However, as we look to the future, it is important to remember the moments that brought us here. I love the art around my city. They are subliminal reminders of the parts of our history that cannot go forgotten. Across southwest Atlanta, you can stand in front of portraits of Outkast, John Lewis, and other cultural icons that have shaped our city and what it means to be from Atlanta. Art has always been at the root of my relationship with Atlanta. The music, whether it is hip-hop and R&B from the early 2000’s or the gospel tunes ringing out of historic southern baptists churches on Sunday mornings, they are what I imagine when I think of what Atlanta sounds like. It is music that uplifts and calls for the gathering of a group of people to celebrate each other and the good parts of life. My city is unique because despite the strides we have made in this country, it has not hardened the hearts of ATLiens. This continues to be a city I can come back to and feel supported by my community. I love living here because like many who come here, it has provided me the opportunity to unapologetically be myself and believe in my abilities as a young Black female journalist in America.