THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
10
THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
BY TAYLOR LEWIS AND TANYA A. CHRISTIAN
1
THE TRUSTED SOURCE
AB B E Y OLDHAM
Gwen Ifill knows a thing or two about politics. The 61-year-old newswoman serves as managing editor and anchor of PBS’ Washington Week and has covered eight presidential elections as a pundit. Last August, she became the first African-American to win the prestigious John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism from Columbia University, which recognizes exceptional reporters. Ifill talks to ESSENCE about her plans to help young Black journalists succeed and gives her thoughts on this month’s presidential election.
ISSUES
NOVEMBER 2016 ESSENCE .COM 57
ISSUES : TRENDING TOPICS ESSENCE: What does winning
this award mean to you?
GWEN IFILL: I was shocked to hear
that I was the first, because I can name a lot of really amazing Black journalists off the top of my head. In some respects, I accept an award like this on their behalf because I stepped right on their shoulders to achieve it. Every time I meet a young Black woman— particularly a journalist—I want to know who she is. I want to help her through the next step because it’s useless if I walk away with this wonderful award with nobody walking behind me. ESSENCE: How did you get to
where you are now?
IFILL: I grew up in a house
ESSENCE: How has politics changed through the years? IFILL: I think it’s fair to say that we’ve never seen an election like this one before. On the Democratic side, we have the first woman ever to win the nomination of a major party. For Republicans, Donald Trump is a brand-new thing. We’ve never seen someone with no political experience at this level, and as a result, it has been one of the most interesting campaigns to cover. ESSENCE: What role do you think Black women will play in this election? IFILL: Black women in particular have always been hard workers and leaders in both our families and communities. For members of any group to decide to sit on their hands means that they’re relinquishing their responsibilities, and Black women— who have to carry so much—can’t afford to not have a voice. We have to take our responsibility as citizens and make sure to speak up. 58 ESSENCE .COM NOVEMBER 2016
Finding Black-owned businesses just got easier, thanks to San Francisco digital activist Angelica Coleman. Last summer the 27-year-old designed BuyBlack, a free Google Chrome add-on that provides users with a list of Black-owned businesses when they’re on a retail Web site. Visit chrome.google.com to get it.
3 JUSTICE SERVED? Nearly two years after Akai Gurley, 28, was fatally shot by NYPD Officer Peter Liang in an apartment building, New York City has reached a settlement agreement: $4.1 million for Gurley’s family. Liang, who was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide earlier this year, must pay an additional $25,000.
4
RUNNERS’ REVOLUTION
Running group GirlTrek has been encouraging Black women to get out and move for years. Now it’s pushing us to do more. GirlTrek founders are hoping to mobilize 50,000 Black women across the country to walk in unison to the polls on Election Day and cast their votes.
5 TECH TITAN
We’ve long considered Kathryn Finney, managing director of digitalundivided, to be one dynamic leader. The Anita Borg Institute agrees. In August, the nonprofit, aimed at advancing women in technology, honored Finney with the Social Impact ABIE Award for working to empower Black women in tech.
In August, a coalition of 50 racial justice organizations, called The Movement for Black Lives, released a platform demanding reparations, political presence and an economic investment in the Black community from elected officials at the congressional and city levels.
7 EDUCATION FOR ALL
Detroit officials are making access to education a priority. In March, the city launched the Detroit Promise Zone, which guarantees free community college to all public high school students who complete their junior and senior years within city limits.
8 CURLY GIRL LOVE
When 11-year-old Lexi P. couldn’t find a coloring book that celebrated her beloved coily hair, she created Curly Girls Love Your Curls (amazon.com). She now has her own publishing company, Books for Cool Kids, which will work with young authors.
9 INCLUSIVE ADMISSION In a letter to students, Spelman College president Mary Schmidt Campbell announced that she would be forming a task force to determine whether the school would begin admitting transgender students. A final decision has not been reached, but Campbell said she expects a report by the end of the academic year.
10
A NEW ACADEMY AT TOUGALOO
Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, recently announced that it has received a $550,000 grant to launch the Institute for the Study of Modern Day Slavery. The first of its kind at an HBCU, the institute will focus on eradicating human trafficking.
For the latest news, follow ESSENCE Features Editor Lauren N. Williams on Twitter @LAURNWILLIAMS.
2. DAN STROU D. 4 . H ERMAN -SCH EER . 5 . COU RTESY OF DIGITALU N DIVIDED. 8 . ILLUSTR ATION , TR ACI BAKER JACKSON .
with newspapers and where the news was always on, and I became attracted to the idea of being able to ask questions and get answers.
2
6 DEMANDING ACTION
THERE’S AN APP TO BUY BLACK
THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
BY TAYLOR LEWIS AND TANYA A. CHRISTIAN
1
THE TRUSTED SOURCE
AB B E Y OLDHAM
Gwen Ifill knows a thing or two about politics. The 61-year-old newswoman serves as managing editor and anchor of PBS’ Washington Week and has covered eight presidential elections as a pundit. Last August, she became the first African-American to win the prestigious John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism from Columbia University, which recognizes exceptional reporters. Ifill talks to ESSENCE about her plans to help young Black journalists succeed and gives her thoughts on this month’s presidential election.
ISSUES
NOVEMBER 2016 ESSENCE .COM 57
ISSUES : TRENDING TOPICS ESSENCE: What does winning
this award mean to you?
GWEN IFILL: I was shocked to hear
that I was the first, because I can name a lot of really amazing Black journalists off the top of my head. In some respects, I accept an award like this on their behalf because I stepped right on their shoulders to achieve it. Every time I meet a young Black woman— particularly a journalist—I want to know who she is. I want to help her through the next step because it’s useless if I walk away with this wonderful award with nobody walking behind me. ESSENCE: How did you get to
where you are now?
IFILL: I grew up in a house
ESSENCE: How has politics changed through the years? IFILL: I think it’s fair to say that we’ve never seen an election like this one before. On the Democratic side, we have the first woman ever to win the nomination of a major party. For Republicans, Donald Trump is a brand-new thing. We’ve never seen someone with no political experience at this level, and as a result, it has been one of the most interesting campaigns to cover. ESSENCE: What role do you think Black women will play in this election? IFILL: Black women in particular have always been hard workers and leaders in both our families and communities. For members of any group to decide to sit on their hands means that they’re relinquishing their responsibilities, and Black women— who have to carry so much—can’t afford to not have a voice. We have to take our responsibility as citizens and make sure to speak up. 58 ESSENCE .COM NOVEMBER 2016
Finding Black-owned businesses just got easier, thanks to San Francisco digital activist Angelica Coleman. Last summer the 27-year-old designed BuyBlack, a free Google Chrome add-on that provides users with a list of Black-owned businesses when they’re on a retail Web site. Visit chrome.google.com to get it.
3 JUSTICE SERVED? Nearly two years after Akai Gurley, 28, was fatally shot by NYPD Officer Peter Liang in an apartment building, New York City has reached a settlement agreement: $4.1 million for Gurley’s family. Liang, who was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide earlier this year, must pay an additional $25,000.
4
RUNNERS’ REVOLUTION
Running group GirlTrek has been encouraging Black women to get out and move for years. Now it’s pushing us to do more. GirlTrek founders are hoping to mobilize 50,000 Black women across the country to walk in unison to the polls on Election Day and cast their votes.
5 TECH TITAN
We’ve long considered Kathryn Finney, managing director of digitalundivided, to be one dynamic leader. The Anita Borg Institute agrees. In August, the nonprofit, aimed at advancing women in technology, honored Finney with the Social Impact ABIE Award for working to empower Black women in tech.
In August, a coalition of 50 racial justice organizations, called The Movement for Black Lives, released a platform demanding reparations, political presence and an economic investment in the Black community from elected officials at the congressional and city levels.
7 EDUCATION FOR ALL
Detroit officials are making access to education a priority. In March, the city launched the Detroit Promise Zone, which guarantees free community college to all public high school students who complete their junior and senior years within city limits.
8 CURLY GIRL LOVE
When 11-year-old Lexi P. couldn’t find a coloring book that celebrated her beloved coily hair, she created Curly Girls Love Your Curls (amazon.com). She now has her own publishing company, Books for Cool Kids, which will work with young authors.
9 INCLUSIVE ADMISSION In a letter to students, Spelman College president Mary Schmidt Campbell announced that she would be forming a task force to determine whether the school would begin admitting transgender students. A final decision has not been reached, but Campbell said she expects a report by the end of the academic year.
10
A NEW ACADEMY AT TOUGALOO
Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, recently announced that it has received a $550,000 grant to launch the Institute for the Study of Modern Day Slavery. The first of its kind at an HBCU, the institute will focus on eradicating human trafficking.
For the latest news, follow ESSENCE Features Editor Lauren N. Williams on Twitter @LAURNWILLIAMS.
2. DAN STROU D. 4 . H ERMAN -SCH EER . 5 . COU RTESY OF DIGITALU N DIVIDED. 8 . ILLUSTR ATION , TR ACI BAKER JACKSON .
with newspapers and where the news was always on, and I became attracted to the idea of being able to ask questions and get answers.
2
6 DEMANDING ACTION
THERE’S AN APP TO BUY BLACK
