I am so grateful to the Philanthropy News Digest for a platform to discuss a topic that is very important to me, and hopefully to anyone interested in a workforce centered on equity. Please check out my byline about why, nonprofit or not, we have to find a way to compensate our teams equitably, starting with our students and continuing into those who make what we do possible.
Thanks to Dr. Sean, host of “Book of Sean” on FOX Soul for inviting YR Media to talk about the “Behind Our Masks” project that our talented youth teams in journalism and interactive completed in partnership with Boyle Heights Beat, Coachella Unincorporated, and The kNOw. The work, which was led by one of YR Media’s allstar alumni staff, Nancy DeVille, shines a bright light on the stories of young people, particularly in the BIPOC community, and how they have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch the segment HERE and please keep reading, watching and sharing the stories that are being told.
It is 110% clear the #BlackGirlMagic was in plentiful supply during the 2020 Elections. And of course, we’re not a monolith, so Good Housekeeping asked a number of African American women leaders their thoughts on what the Biden-Harris Administration can do to improve the lives of the demographic that showed up and out at the polls and put them into office. You can read the article right HERE, and I must send a shout out to the incredible team at ZM Communications. They are the strategic communications partners for the organization I run at YR Media and are constantly working to make sure that our organization and stakeholders are represented in important conversations like this one. Respect.
Thank you to the team at Authority who offered me a platform to discuss my career, inspirations and the throughline of advocacy for diversity that I’ve been passionate about for my 20-plus years as a journalist and communicator. Please check it out HERE and let’s say this all together now: Diversity = reality.
The San Francisco Public Press wanted to get a sense of how youth media dealt with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the tumultuous 2020 elections, and of course COVID. It was a true pleasure sharing space with one of YR Media’s incredible national correspondents, Erianna Jiles. Listen in to the whole CONVERSATION.
When the interviewer becomes the interviewee. I recently got the opportunity to talk with the Millennial Source about issues of racial equity, including #BlackLivesMatter, that must be addressed. With help from my amazing team at YR Media, I also highlighted young activists who will be pivotal to change-making. Check out the article and see what other Black leaders at organizations how to say on these topics HERE.
I’m so excited to be part of ADCOLOR’s virtual event, an exploration of how detrimental it is for organizations to ignore diversity. Here’s the description of the overall event, and I get the honor to join a conversation that includes Pandora/Sirius XM Group Creative Director Roger Sho Gehrmann, MC Lyte, and VP of the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Joan Baker.
“ADCOLOR Everywhere is our chance to go beyond a physical event. To invite more people, more industries, more countries. We’ll have tough conversations and amplify the voices of our community to create a virtual event that will help us navigate the challenges and emotions of 2020 and keep us strong in our fight. ADCOLOR remains true to our goal of creating a community of diverse professionals who support and celebrate one another. This year will be no different. We will set the bar virtually with innovative content, a live main-stage, cutting-edge breakouts and networking opportunities that will live on long after the conference. Join us as we virtually convene top innovators, experts and thought leaders from multiple creative industries: advertising, marketing, media, entertainment, public relations and tech. “
Throughout my journalism career, I have always been in somebody’s voting booth come November. And despite naysayers (including some close colleagues) who think that we ought to abstain, I say “naw.” Read the ARTICLE in full at Philanthropy News Digest to get a full understanding of why I do my job as a voter and encourage young journalists to do the same.
One of my favorite editorial colleagues (and people) of all time LaToya “Toi” Cross is doing big things in production at WDET in her native Detroit, and she kindly invited me on air to talk with the amazing Amanda LeClaire. We talked about why Juneteenth needs to be celebrated by everybody, every year and as a holiday. Find out more when you click this LINK.
It hardly matters “where” we really are anymore, thanks to this COVID-19 pandemic and the shelter-in-place that follows. We’re all virtual. But for those still grappling with geography, if you hadn’t heard, I’ve relocated to the Bay Area, Oakland specifically, for a mighty media mission.
My new role is as CEO as YR Media, a 26-year-old, award-winning nonprofit that provides education and a platform for both journalistic and artistic expression for youth between the ages of 18 to 24. Our creators are mainly of color and living in underrepresented communities so their voices are vital to the national narrative.
Not only does it teach media education, music production and other arts, it offers employment to those who come up through the programs. In fact, compensating our emerging content creators is the cornerstone of our mission.
I have taken the reigns at YR Media at a rather interesting time for this country. I came in eager to meet many of our funders, donors, volunteers, community partners, collaborators and alumni, only to find many in-person meetings turned into Zooms. The awesome downtown Oakland offices that YR Media considers its hub are shuttered for now, and my living room in my new digs is my official office.
Still, regardless of the current situation, I am excited for this opportunity and the impact of working with the powerful, passionate team at this organization. Newsrooms won’t change until the people change. The recording industry too could do with a staff (in front of AND the shot-callers behind the scenes) that better reflects the reality of America. YR Media is at the forefront of this shift.
I hope that those who have been so supportive of my career as I worked in the Chicago market will continue to do the same in the sibling city of Oakland. The latter definitely has a vibe that reminds me of the City of Win, albeit without the hawk that bears down on us every winter.
Read more about YR Media here and please sign up for our newsletter so you can stay in the know and support, whether as volunteers or (if you can) with financial offerings to keep our young storytellers from going silent, especially now.
I look forward to a time when I can get out and about again in my new city and also travel to Chicago, as well as other top media hubs including Atlanta; New York; Jackson, Mississippi; and New Orleans to share more about what Team YR has in the works. Until then, we’ll keep getting the word out virtually and I hope that my Kyles Files fam will support me from the sidelines.
Anyone who knows me, knows I love sci fi and fantasy. I’ve been a Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, Piers Anthony fan since I started developing my taste in literature. But those names are rather vanilla and homogeneous if you think about it, and that is why it was such a thrill to accept an assignment from Medium’s ZORA magazine writing about this very subject. The plot twist: African American, Asian, and indigenous female writers are taking over the game, signing lucrative literary and film deals. I got the opportunity to talk to some of them and this is the result.
Take a read HERE if you get a chance, and let me know what you think!
“Soulless” is what happens when entertainment and investigative journalism intersect to shine a light on a horror that impacted young Black girls and women in Chicago and beyond. Earlier this summer, I got the opportunity to interview one of my earliest media mentors Jim DeRogatis, who originally broke the story on allegations that now disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly engaged in a pattern of grooming, sexually abusing and then paying off young girls. Over a decade after Kelly largely beat those accusations, developments in the case and increased attention brought by Lifetime documentary and the #MuteRKelly campaign, Kelly is behind bars awaiting a trial on federal charges and DeRogatis has published a revealing account of his dogged pursuit of the truth and his concern for young Black women and girls who are all too often discarded and disregarded.
#MuteRKelly co-founders Kenyette Barnes and Oronike Odeleye joined DeRogatis in conversation, sharing their powerful protest of Kelly that has all but eradicated Kelly’s touring potential and placed the attention where it belongs: the young ladies whose lives have been forever impacted by not only Kelly, but by sexual predators all over the country.
If you’ve got some time, check out video from the event, powered by the Chicago Humanities Festival and held at the Chop Shop in Chicago’s Wicker Park. Ignore the comments, ‘cuz…R.Kelly-apologist trolls are in full effect.
Because CHF understands that one cannot care for their community without care for themselves, volunteers from Resilience, Between Friends and OurMusicMyBody will be available throughout the program to offer support. If you are feeling triggered, overwhelmed or just need to take a moment away from the conversation, our volunteers are here for you.
Expanding media diversity has been one of my missions throughout my 20-plus year career, so I am so excited to announce a new role I’ve taken on at the Field Foundation. In early April, I became the Media & Storytelling Program Officer for the foundation, joining an amazing, all-star team supporting Justice, the Arts and Leadership Investment in Chicago. You can read more about the program HERE.
19 Likes, 2 Comments - Field Foundation of Illinois (@fieldfoundation) on Instagram: "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady! Our Field family is feeling complete with Kyra Kyles now..."
If we’re being honest, “The Blacks” already have so many things topping our collective agenda there really isn’t much room left for any kind of self-enforced colorism.
Fair housing.
Voters rights.
The prison industrial complex.
You get the picture, hopefully in high def.
Yet, here we sit, somewhat deeply divided by yet another digital discussion of #teamlightskin versus #teamdarkskin.
This latest battle royale comes courtesy of a recent column in The Guardian, one in a series of articles about the color-coded caste system invented by White enslavers. Opinion writer Dream McClinton starts off “Why Black Girls Like Me Aren’t Getting Married” with a raw, honest look at one Black woman’s experience in her self-described “mahogany” skin.
Read the rest of the column HERE.
Feature Image: Caroline Veronez
As if Black History Month isn’t exciting enough, I am absolutely honored and excited to announce that both I and my partner in screenwriting crime, Kozi Kyles, were profiled by Reel Chicago as part of their commemoration of The Culture. Check out the kind words written about yours truly right HERE and of course, you must learn more about my super sibling HERE.
In the wake of lawsuits against Epic Games and Take-Two Interactive, legal and influencer marketing experts share how to fight the culture vultures for your original ideas.
Talk about being radio active. I got the opportunity to spend nearly a week guest hosting on WBEZ-FM. I had a terrific time talking about a variety of topics from the scariest horror movies of all time to patterns in presidential leadership to in-depth interviews with the two candidates for Illinois Attorney General. I also relished an interview with writer, sociologist, activist and host extraordinaire, Eve Ewing.
If you want to eavesdrop on some of those conversations, here are some handy dandy links to the segments. Thanks to all who tuned in, texted in questions and called in. I had a fantastic time, and my appreciation to the amazing team at WBEZ.
You can check out the rest on WBEZ’s Morning shift page HERE.
BOOK MARK: Eve Ewing’s deeply moving examination of the school closings that shattered Chicago in 2013 is a MUST. READ. It’s called Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side.
SCARED STRAIGHT: What is the first horror movie you can remember seeing? What is the scariest? Compare notes with me and my guest, Elliott Serrano, Chicago’s King of Geeks who dropped by for a spine-tingling discussion.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Being a boss or being successful does not make you a leader. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin breaks down what qualities lift you to excellence and allow you to inspire with a case study of four different American presidents. https://www.wbez.org/shows/morning-shift/historian-doris-kearns-goodwin-on-leadership-in-turbulent-times/82dfd1de-feec-4eb8-883a-60698740c920
Who else misses watching “Insecure” right now, post-finale? Don’t all pipe up at once…
There is no doubt that Black women consistently step up for The Culture and the country.
Think back on the work Black women have done for civil rights including the who-gone-check-me-boo badassery of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks all the way up to Congresswoman “Auntie” Maxine Waters. Each of these women paved the way for Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi, the trio who created and defined the #BlackLivesMatter movement, fighting for equity in the judicial system and against police brutality.
And, as nobody better ever DARE to forget, especially as we advance toward November’s mid-terms elections, it was Black women who went to the polls during a hotly contested election in a blood-red state. We delivered the Alabama Senate seat win to Democrat Doug Jones against Republican Roy Moore, a neo-Confederate POS, full-grown ass man who has been accused of deliberately targeting teen girls for relationships.
READ THE REST OF MY PIECE AT THE GRIO HERE...
Recently, I've been writing a lil' something something for TheGrio. Like to read 'em? Here they are!
1. Folks got a little "insecure" about Issa Rae's joking dating advice in a book that was published several years back. Of course, as a supporter of this talented content creator, I could not let that slide so... THIS HAPPPENED.
2. Kanye West left his body, and the entire realm of reason, and denigrated our enslaved ancestors. Naw, fam. This was my OFFICIAL RESPONSE.
3. Cardi B said you couldn't eff with her if you wanted to, but Azealia Banks really wanted to. The controversial Banks kicked off a blood feud with accusations that Cardi B was a "caricature" of a Black woman and leveraging light-skinned privilege to do things Banks or Nicki Minaj could NEVER. Words were said. Entire Instagram accounts were deleted, but there is a bigger question this battle raises that you can read about it HERE.
