“They’re taking buses away from where I’m close to, so now I have to go further for a bus stop,” George said about the new route, noting she knows of other youth in the D.C. metropolitan area who have had similar experiences. “You have to leave out earlier because it’s going all around everywhere except straight to a certain destination, so it just takes longer to get everywhere. It’s less accessible from certain areas.”
Introducing Michelle Matthews-Alexander, Multicultural Marketing Manager at General Motors. Michelle has dedicated her career to enhancing major corporations’ relationship with diverse communities. Since joining GM in 2015, Michelle has not only advocated for, but helped spearhead Chevrolet’s Discover the Unexpected Journalism Fellowship program. In partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, she and Chevrolet have invested in the future of Black Journalism while simultaneously supporting students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Now in its fourth year, the 2019 Chevrolet Discover The Unexpected program continues to provide opportunity to young journalists as they work to tell the stories that matter.
I just want to say how much I’ll miss The Washington Informer staff, especially, Mrs. Rolark Barnes and Dr. Sherman. They are both fantastic. We were greeted so warmly by the staff at The Crusader with packets, business cards, and press passes. They are serious about their jobs, and I can’t wait to get to work for them.
“Providence will continue to work toward meeting patient needs and addressing the social factors that influence a person’s health,” said Tamarah Duperval-Brownlee, MD, MPH, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Providence Health System and Chief Community Impact Officer for Ascension.
The upcoming Go-go documentary we are working on keeps me up at night with excitement. I’m learning so much about the depth of the local culture of D.C., and I’m learning about the passion the Black community has for their culture and how they want to preserve it.
This week we visited Ben’s Chili Bowl, a Black-owned restaurant that’s been present in the city upward for more than 60 years. We also traveled to the White House and were surprised by all the demonstrations we saw. We walked the Washington Mall and saw the Lincoln Memorial. I read Lincoln’s inauguration and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech to myself while there (nerd things). It was great to simply have some American pride and bask in the beauty of the country.
My first week as a Discover The Unexpected fellow has been nothing short of amazing. Week one has furthered my curiosity into the program, and I hope to continue to carry this curiosity throughout the rest of my journey. From my initial arrival at the boot camp to my first day at the Washington Informer, each day has gifted me with something unexpected.
The first-ever museum dedicated to the nation’s 102 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) recently opened with a brand-new welcome center in the District.
Dana Blair is the Road Trip Navigator for the NNPA’s 2018 Discover The Unexpected Journalism Fellowship program.
D.C’s interim deputy mayor for education faces an uphill battle in combating chronic absenteeism — a dilemma playing out across the nation and one that puts nearly half of all high school students in line for dropping out instead of graduating.
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