Black Students Are the Future of Journalism

By Quintessa Williams, Word in Black

For over a century, the Black press has been a force for change: Ida B. Wells investigated lynching for the Chicago Defender when no one else would, reporters at the Baltimore Afro documented the all-Black-women “Six Triple Eight” battalion during World War II, and the St. Louis American amplified protests after the killing of Michael Brown — all with a commitment to reporting stories about Black communities that white-owned media largely ignored. 

“If we’re not in these newsrooms, nobody’s able to tell our stories,” says Phil Lewis, deputy editor at HuffPost. Lewis, who previously served as co-coordinator of the Urban Journalism Workshop in 2023 and 2024, remains involved in the Washington, D.C.-based program run through the Washington Association of Black Journalists, which teaches local high school students the fundamentals of reporting.

And then there are the Black journalists holding down the fort in mainstream newsrooms— often the only Black reporter or editor at their outlet, or one of a handful, doing their best to ensure an accurate coverage of Black America. However, according to a 2023 Pew Research Report, Black journalists comprise just 6% of the U.S. media workforce, and the pipeline for the next generation of storytellers is shrinking due to limited opportunities. 

“One of the most important things we can do as Black journalists isn’t just telling stories — it’s uplifting the next generation of storytellers,” he says.

Unfortunately, schools may not have the resources for Black students to pursue journalism.

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