Some of my favorite essays and radio stories.
Current
Read: Follow this onboarding checklist to set your team up for success
My manifesto on how to welcome new employees and build strong teams during the pandemic and beyond! It was one of Current’s top 10 articles of 2021.
Poynter
Read: I am not your Black unicorn
If newsrooms want to make progress with diversity, we must consider the humanity, complexity and goals of individuals. Here's why I am a journalist. | 2020
The Cut
Read: Am I Being Set Up to Fail?
I talked with eight Black professionals about moments when career opportunities came without the necessary support. | 2020
Read: I Don’t Need Your Check In Texts
If a sense of outrage is new for you, welcome. I’ve got low-level outrage stasis going on over here. | 2020
Reveal
Listen: Reproducing Racism
An exploration of how the legacy of medical racism affects maternal health in the United States today. | 2020
Listen: The evolution of all-American terrorism
With right-wing extremist attacks on the rise, Reveal teams up with Type Investigations to track domestic terror during the Trump presidency. | 2020
Listen: The choir still sings
(Starts at 45:00) The story of a gospel choir that’s figured out a creative way to practice together, despite shelter-in-place orders in effect during the pandemic. | 2020
KPCC
Listen: LA celebrates the life of Nispey Hussle
A sonic recap from the streets of Los Angeles and the Staples Center on the day of the Nispsey Hussle memorial. | 2019
Listen: The neighborhood tug-of-war over opening a Santa Monica preschool
Neighbors aren't opposed to having more quality preschools embedded into communities, but many say their street isn't the place to do it. | 2017
Listen: New effort to reform early education gives some a sense of deja vu
The Speaker of the California State Assembly created a Blue Ribbon Commission with the aim of unifying the sprawling early childhood field. But this is not the first statewide effort to move things forward. | 2017
Listen: Broke: Why more California families are becoming homeless
25-minute piece, co-reported with Rina Palta, received Best Documentary award from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California. | 2017
NPR
Listen: Tips For Keeping The Benefits Of Pre-K
Researchers say preschool can give kids from low-income families a boost. Those benefits don't always make it through the transition to kindergarten, but there's a lot parents can do to help. | 2019
Listen: Comedian Stands Up For Mental Heath By Talking Openly About Postpartum Depression
One in 7 women experience depression and anxiety during or after giving birth, according to the American Psychological Association. Most find it hard to talk about. But not Los Angeles-based comedian Angelina Spicer. | 2019
Listen: Archive Spotlights The "Golden Age" Of Black Radio
Google began to digitally preserve cultural material online, making collections available to virtually anyone. A new collection dedicated to black history and culture includes an exhibit that caught our attention, "The Golden Age of Black Radio." | 2016
Listen: The Art Of The 'Clean Version'
When songs have profanity, sex or drug references removed for broadcast, it's a process known as clean editing — and it can get complicated. I spoke with one of the masters of the form. | 2015
Listen: Hoping To Reach A Wider Audience, Lifetime Breaks Out Of Familiar Formula
Lifetime's general manager says the channel is trying to reflect "the true breadth" of America. It recently launched a reality show called BAPs — which stands for "Black American Prince or Princess." | 2014
Marketplace
Listen: Home day cares are disappearing across California
Finding child care in California, especially for infants, is getting harder to do. The number of licensed home day cares has steeply declined in the state with thousands closing the last decade. | 2018
Listen: With low pay, finding qualified early childhood teachers remains a challenge in some areas
A change to California’s education system exacerbated hiring issues for early childhood programs. | 2017