Pulitzer Center Update January 16, 2024
Virtual Journalist Visit Opportunities for Black History Month 2024
In celebration of Black History Month, we are featuring several journalists who have reported on relevant topics and who would love to visit your classroom! Take a look at our featured guest speakers below, and click here to connect your class with a guest speaker. This opportunity is open to classroom and out-of-school time educators, as well as educators working with students in carceral facilities.
Journalist Guest Speakers for Black History Month
Journalists can share stories about Black communities, identity, and racial justice and discuss contemporary issues affecting Black individuals and the diaspora.
- Jermaine Ervin Jr., a journalist reporting on Black British education and the ways in which it fails to protect and unify Black students.
- Erica Ayisi, a freelance multimedia journalist who reported on the global hair trade industry in Southeast Asia, climate issues and how coastal erosion impacts livelihood in Ghana, and more.
- Ashonti Ford, a journalist who reported on Black cowboys, including third-generation farmer Al Everett who was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
- Kameo Latortue, a journalist who reported on internalized homophobia and transphobia among the Black queer community.
- Melba Newsome, a freelance journalist with over twenty years of experience who reported on the Gullah Geechee people in South Carolina and who are among the most climate-threatened in the world.
- Macollvie J. Neel, Ralph "Onz" Chery, and Marvens Compere, a reporting team who examined the historic tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
- Ngozi Cole, a journalist who covered the aftermath of the deadly Bronx fire, which occurred in January 2022, and the systemic failures that led to the tragedy.
- Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, a novelist, essayist, and journalist who reported on police brutality in Nigeria and discrimination against descendants of freed and formerly enslaved people among the Igbos in Nigeria.
- Jamaija Rhoades, a multimedia journalist who reported on racism in schools in her hometown of Richmond, VA.
- Irene Vázquez, a journalist who reported on Black and Indigenous histories in Louisiana and ties to climate crises.
NOTE: Due to availability, we cannot always guarantee a specific journalist, but we will work with you to suggest several options based on your goals and meeting times.
About the Virtual Journalist Visit Program
The Pulitzer Center offers free virtual journalist visits to K-12 schools worldwide. We have worked with more than a thousand journalists over the years, covering diverse topics and geographic regions, and we will match you with a journalist based on your request. We use many different platforms to connect, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, and we will work with you to identify the best technology for your learners. Virtual journalist visits are a great way to help students:
- Understand how what they're studying affects people's lives
- Learn how research, writing, critical thinking, multimedia, and more skills are used in journalism
- Practice preparing and asking questions of an expert
- Get excited about using the news to learn about the world
- And much more!
