Web
My journalistic presence extends beyond the magazine to our website platform. I have worked with my peers and web editors-in-chief to distinguish which types of articles and content fit best for the magazine and the website. For example, we have worked to push the website to incorporate more multimedia aspects through Adobe Spark and Atavist extensions. And for print, we work with our staff to direct where their content should go; we encourage them to write longer news analysis or news features for print and more timely news for web.
My two most recent staff profiles for our website. The left is the one for the 2019-2020 school year, and the one on the right is for the 2020-2021 school year. Staff profiles are a perfect way to access all of our work published to the website, as well as showcase a bit of our personalities in our bios.
The website has pushed my design and article writing in a different way when compared to the magazine. When I am creating an article specifically for the website, I try to think about how to best incorporate audio, video, text and writing. The most effective way to combine these elements is through an Adobe Spark or Atavist extension. I have published some of my favorite articles through this platform. Check out some examples below.
Protester's March for Justice
at Sheriff's Office
This was a news feature I co-wrote in the spring of 2020. We were covering the local Black Lives Matter protests in Washtenaw County, and for this particular demonstration, covering a local incident of police brutality against Sha'Teina Grady-El, a Black woman. We had the opportunity to interview her at the protest, along with other demonstrators, organizers and lawyers. We wanted to showcase our writing in addition to the most powerful pictures we captured.
Two Ann Arbors
This was a feature article I co-wrote in the fall of 2019. It was originally published in the first edition of our magazine for the year, but when it came time to publish it online, we decided to amplify the design. This article was about an incident of police brutality against a local Black teen a few years ago and the attempts at restorative justice. We wanted to emphasize some of the direct quotes, as well as link the video of the incident.
The Struggle for Black History Visibility Within the Ann Arbor Bubble
After writing an article about the gentrification of my city's historically Black neighborhood, I was put in contact with a local activist that had grown up in the neighborhood. In this follow up article, I found a myriad of historical photos from the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County. I thought it was imperative to include those photos, which is why I ultimately published the article in the form of an Atavist page.
Covid Cases by Zip Code: Washtenaw County Area
In the spring of 2020, I found myself consumed by Covid-19 information, as did many of my peers. In April, national data started to emerge about the disparities and disproportionate impacts the virus and pandemic had on communities of color––specifically the Black community. After sifting through the US Census Bureau and Washtenaw County Health Department data, I decided to present the local health disparities through a StoryMaps extension.
Kids These Days: Race
Additionally, in the beginning of the summer of 2020, I was presented with a unique opportunity to be featured on a podcast. "Kids These Days" is a collaboration between my high school and Michigan Public Radio. The first episode, "Race," touches on conversations of race in families. Although I wasn't a part of the podcast, I was invited to share my story for this episode. I sat down with my mom and grandma for two hours as we talked about our experiences growing up: my grandma in Jim Crow Virginia, my mom in predominately white East Lansing and myself, in Ann Arbor.
This was an incredibly insightful experience for me. Although I have always been introspective of my biracial identity and light complexion, I had never sat down with my mom and grandma to explicitly talk about it. They mentioned that the idea of being "mixed" was new to them. It was a hard conversation to have, as it was the first time I had ever learned that people discouraged my mom from having biracial children. But it was a much needed conversation.