First week in Houston is in the books, and I wrote my first cover story! On the first day in the office, we got breaking news about a press conference that would be happening the next morning on some recent killings of innocent children in the Houston area.
My 5th week as a DTU fellow has been very challenging. I’ve been faced with the task of writing stories at a speed that I’m not accustomed to, but I appreciate the discomfort and growth.
With my first two years completed at North Carolina A&T I have had on-campus experiences pertaining to writing news, interviewing and developing journalism skills. But I’ve never had the opportunity like the one Chevy Discover The Unexpected has given me this summer, to not only travel the country and develop genuine connections, but to also learn about our Black communities and the triumphs and downfalls that occur within them, that are rarely shared on a broader scale in the mainstream media.
Since the beginning of the journey I wanted the experience itself to be my “thank you” to the program coordinators. I treat each assignment, opportunity and encounter as a “thank you.” From delving into the depths of “The Green Book” and its comparison to our travel experience, to attending city press briefings I’ve learned that the way that we say “thank you” is through what we produce.
Since starting with the Chevrolet Discover the Unexpected program, I have done many things I had not had the luxury of doing before. Driving the new Chevy Blazer that is part of the intern benefit, I have traveled and seen so much of the country I might never have seen. I have acted in commercials for Chevrolet and eaten crab cakes with celebrities DJ Envy and Fonzworth Bentley. It is just unbelievable how a year of hard work can take you places that you never dreamed of going.
Tedarius Abrams, Sharon Joy Washington and Elae Hill are three young future journalists from HBCUs who started their internships with the Chicago Crusader on Monday, July 8. Blessed with a string of perfect summer weather, they have crisscrossed the city over the last three days, taking selfies at the Bean at Millennium Park and the Riverwalk, to marveling at the mansions of Obama, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan and boxer Muhammad Ali.
Wednesday, July 10 marked the final print edition of the historic Chicago Defender. At some Walgreens stores in the city, customers stopped in just to buy the iconic newspaper for one last piece of nostalgia.
Our first assignment for The Chicago Crusader was to attend the press briefing that Mayor Lori Lightfoot held for news publications in the area. It was inspiring to watch her control the room and exert her power as the first Black female mayor of such a prominent city. She even gave us a shout out!
My first week working for The Chicago Crusader was fantastic. I got to broadcast on the “Talk of Chicago” radio station, I covered a youth all-star game and participated in one of Chicago’s major summer events, The Taste Of Chicago.
Week 5 in Chicago was beautiful. My team got to see many historical sights in the city including Ida B. Wells’ house. We also met Reverend Jesse Jackson which was inspiring.
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