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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2015)
Local News Northwest Black Journalists in Spotlight The Skanner News interviews a wealth of media professionals for 2015 Black Press Week By Donovan M. Smith Of The Skanner News W e here at The Skanner News are celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the NNPA Black Press Week. In honor we are highlighting Black journal- ists and those who focus their work on the communities throughout the Northwest. Though representation in media can seem small, we reached out to a number of jour- nalists in various disciplines (reporters, bloggers, television news anchors, etc.) covering a span of topics (politics, fashion, entertainment, etc.) All were asked the same three questions: 1. What you do in writing and journal- ism/what’s your specialty? 2. Why have you chosen journalism and your particular audience? 3. What is it like for you to be a Black journalist in Portland/Seattle? Answers varied, and in some cases (espe- cially the last question) often paralleled, but universally represented the diversity present in the Black press today. Fahiym B. Acuay (aka ‘Mac Smiff’) Edi- tor-and-Chief at We Out Here Magazine www.weouthere.net I like to think that I write on a broad array of topics, but my focus is typical- ly on hip-hop cul- ture from both a musical and politi- cal standpoint. I really enjoy doing Fahiym B. Acuay event recaps and bringing a new angle to political discussions. I also do a lot of editing for WeOutHere.net where I have several writers across the region. I write out of a strong need to express myself; it was the same when I was rapping. I also have a terrible memory so I’ve always found it helpful to document my thoughts. My focus on NW hip-hop was actually birthed from necessity. In my rapping days, I was frustrated with the lack of outlets for NW artists, so when I took over managing WOHM that became my main focus. I’ve never been any other color journalist, so I don’t know! I was really surprised when journalists from other publications started reaching out, and I’ve never really had anyone give me any issues despite own- ing and sharing some rather radical views. We’ll see how that changes as WOHM starts making more noise in the region and people realize it’s a negro in charge. Kemea Smith, Beauty and Fashion Writer at GoLocalPDX http://www.golocalpdx.com/beauty Reagan Jackson, Columnist at The Seat- tle Globalist www.seattleglobalist.com/author/reagan- jackson GoLocalPDX is still a pretty new news site so on a day to day basis I could be writing about food culture, break- ing news, and the latest fashion trends that are taking over the internet. Kemea Smith I write because it is fun and addicting! I love making new connections with people, taking photo- graphs of Portlanders with interesting style, and conveying the full experience of a fash- ion event through my writing. Sure it’s long hours, but it always feels satisfying to see what you have written “live” for people to read. I can’t tell you how many times people laugh or are amazed that Portland has a fashion scene. But the fashion industry here is really flourishing and deserves the sup- port and respect of Portlanders and fashion enthusiasts alike. It’s like going to a fashion event and being one of three Black people in the room (four if it’s a good night). We all head bob or smile at each other, like we are part of a secret society. I have always been interested in travel- ing and seeing new things, so writing for the Globalist has given me the oppor- tunity to explore international affairs from the lens of my home community in Reagan Jackson Seattle. A lot of what I like to write about stems from wanting to tell the stories of the people in my community in a way that honors their voices and allows them to be heard in different spaces. I became a reporter on accident. I was having brunch and discussing my views on people of color participating in study abroad and the editors of the Seattle Globalist invit- ed me to write them a story. One piece turned into a thing where, when it moved me I would write a piece and submit it. Finally we made it official and now I have a column that comes out twice a month. Velynn Brown, blogger at velynnbrown.com and deepstory.com velynnbrown.com, deepstory.com Ahjamu Umi, Freelance Journalist and Author http://www.abetterworld.me/blog Velynn Brown I am a blogger. I write a little bit about everything. I write about my faith, my struggles, my village and my jour- ney as an African- American woman in the Pacific NW. I’ve been hit hard with work lately so haven’t been writing as much as I’d like I have about 1,300 followers. They range from old to young, black, yellow and white. I don’t target a particular audience but I write from a place of transparency and cul- ture. It is very isolating at times. There is not a strong network, platform or support for Black writers in general in Portland. Tonya Mosley, NPR journalist and for- mer King 5 anchor www.tonyamosley.com I am primarily a broadcast journalist. I have more than 15 years experience as a TV reporter, anchor. Most recent- ly I’ve incorporated radio and print into my work. The Tonya Mosley blending of medi- ums offers me the opportunity to explore stories in different ways. Most of my journalism work focuses on social and cultural issues. Although I do cover topics and news stories beyond these types. I love the power of the written word and I believe journalism is a vital compo- nent of democracy. I moved to Seattle in 2005 to work for KING 5 television. I worked there for 7 years and during that time I was one of two black reporters. I was fortunate enough to cover issues that were important to my com- Page 4 The Portland and Seattle Skanner March 18, 2015 munity. Since then I produced a four-part radio series called ‘Black in Seattle’ for NPR. This has opened up a dialogue about race issues in Seattle. I write primarily about issues of class, race, and gender oppression of African people worldwide. I have written two literary fiction novels relat- ed to those themes. The 2010 - 362 page "Find the Flower that Blossoms" and Ahjamu Umi the January 2015 - 542 page "The Courage Equation." I am also in the process of having my 2005 Masters Thesis pub- lished. The title of that 60-page paper is ‘Mass Incarceration, It's about Profits, Not Justice.’ I regularly write articles which are picked up and published by international Pan-African online sites like Pambuzuka and All Africa.com. In February, 2015 those sites published a piece I wrote on lit- erary fiction as a tool for African liberation and reclaiming the revolutionary legacy of Malcolm X 50 years later. I write because I believe culture is a tool for inspiring our people to fight for libera- tion. So, whether I'm writing fiction or non- fiction, my objective is to get readers from all backgrounds to think about the world we live in, how we fit in it, and what our responsibilities are to contributing to the problems that impact society. I focus my works on what I consider to be the most oppressed segments of society; women, youth of color and youth in general. Being a writer of African descent in Port- land is extremely difficult because the dom- inance of European cultural norms here reflects an entirely different language and style of communication which greatly impacts everyone, including people of African descent. Therefore, the process of writing things that resonate with people here is very tricky as anything that falls out- side the established cultural norm is imme- diately marginalized and dismissed. Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com
