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Black freelancers and producers, as well as Black-owned print, broadcast and digital outlets, are receiving grants from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to support their original and innovative coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus vaccine, and how these topics intersect into the nation’s K-12 education system.
Since launching in March, nearly $90,000 in grants have been distributed. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Grant dollars are still available. “We are excited to award our members and Black-owned media platforms grant dollars to support journalism that will make an integral impact on how our communities are receiving information related to the pandemic,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker. “We look forward to seeing the final results and sharing them on our soon-to-be-released NABJ Media Network. We encourage our freelancers, producers and Black Press family to take advantage of the remaining dollars. I want to extend a special thanks to NABJ Co-founder Sandra Dawson Long Weaver and her committee members Kathy Chaney, Tene Croom and Nate Chambers for their hard work.”
Awardees to date and the platforms that will publish their work are listed below:
Dr. Edelia Carthan (The Mississippi Link): Telling the stories of African Americans affected by COVID-19 in Mississippi, especially in vulnerable areas in the state like the Mississippi Delta.
Harry Colbert, Jr. (North News): Producing a series of stories about the issues of disparities in health, employment, housing, and access to services in North Minneapolis. In addition, the project will delve into the mental toll the dual trauma of the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd has caused.
Josh Barker (New York Amsterdam News): Presenting a series of stories examining the challenges around the coronavirus vaccine rollout within the Black community in the New York region. Stories will also seek to uncover the reasons behind these disparities.
Kenneth Miles (Trenton Journal): Exploring the reasons why Black and Brown Trentonians are not signing up for the vaccine at the same rate as their white counterparts.
Patrick Riley (Inspired with Patrick L. Riley): Conducting digital/streaming interviews with celebs, tastemakers and influencers on the impact of COVID-19.
Ty Miller (Power News Radio Network): Reporting on “Coping with Coronavirus” to provide exclusive updates on the pandemic and news relevant to all people with an emphasis on people of color.
Duane Fernandez (Daytona Times): Documenting “Battling the Coronavirus in Daytona and Beyond” by showing how the coronavirus has impacted Daytona Beach’s predominantly Black community, as well as other areas throughout Central Florida.
Lucas Johnson (Tennessee Tribune): Producing a series examining the impact COVID-19 has had on K-12 students in Black communities in Tennessee and how government resources are being used to alleviate disparities in learning.
Melba Newsome (Charlotte Post Publishing Company): Releasing “Most Exposed, Least Protected,” to feature three mostly Black communities, each dealing with a different kind of environmental racism and all hit hard by the coronavirus.
Sandra Larson (Bay State Banner): Creating “Emerging from the Pandemic” series to cover the ways Boston’s Black individuals, families, communities, and businesses survived and persisted during the pandemic and how they are poised to move forward post-COVID.
Tonya Rivens (The Impact Network): Producing “Canceling COVID,” a weekly Facebook Live and weekly radio series that looks at the effects of COVID in the Black community.
Katelynn White (Tennessee Tribune): Conducting interviews for news stories that document how citizens plan on navigating through their summer routines in the COVID era.
Applications are still being accepted. All content must be published by December 2021.