My grandmother is obsessed with Norman Rockwell. 

 

I have deemed him one of the Great American Painters, capturing the essence of early twentieth century American life. My grandmother used to show me pictures of his paintings in the Saturday Evening Post — so realistic, yet there was always a sense of nostalgia specific to the period. I used to spend time thumbing through magazine compilations of Rockwell’s work with my grandmother, and among all the white faces staring back at me, one painting in particular captivated me: “The Problem We All Live With.”

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This painting depicts a young Ruby Bridges walking to school, pioneering the path to integration within our country’s school system. I cut this painting out of the magazine, and it is now placed on my bathroom mirror. This is his only painting of a Black girl that I remember, and through this painting was one of my earliest introductions into social justice. 

 

Social justice and diversity have been intertwined with my identity for my entire life. Journalism, however, has been a catalyst for unlocking a commitment to these fundamentals. My sophomore year was my first introduction to social justice reporting, and this was what unlocked my passion for journalism and activism. I wrote an article called “West Side Not Water Hill” about my city’s historically Black neighborhood and its gentrification. I had lived adjacent to this neighborhood my entire life, and at a superficial glance, had no idea of its historic roots and rich culture. 

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Many of its original residents are now long-gone, and a trail of white middle class residents now fill the once undesirable homes. Through interviewing a few of the longterm Black residents that still resided in the area, I was able to help amplify their voices through my writing. Many of my peers and neighbors did not know the stories of our Black community members, and through my reporting, I was not only able to share the experiences prior to gentrification, but the hardships and racist attitudes that accompanied it.

 

Simple, inquisitive questions have led me on journalistic endeavors throughout my life, whether I knew it or not. Although Rockwell’s painting may have been intriguing to me as a little girl because of the anonymity of the National Guardsmen and the spotlight put on Bridges, his piece was a time capsule of history. By wondering more about the little girl in Rockwell’s painting, I unlocked a lifetime of stories, history and culture behind every brushstroke. Much like Rockwell, I have aimed to capture moments in history and peoples’ experiences — except mine is through writing.

 

A commitment to social justice and diversity is at the heart of my work as a journalist. My writing is not giving voice to the voiceless, but amplifying the stories and experiences of those with rich histories and diverse backgrounds, solidifying them into our narrative of local history.

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