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Celebrating Black History Month, I had the privilege (during a panel hosted by Georgetown University) of sharing space with some outstanding reporters who cover the President. After sitting down with them, I was compelled to reflect upon the impact that Black journalists have when uplifting our stories and magnifying our pain, as well as our triumphs. Although my conversation with Yamiche Alcindor, Toluse Olorunnipa and April Ryan took place during the shortest month of the year, their work is enduring.

As bias and skewed narratives continue to permeate our media landscape, we're taking these 28 days to celebrate Black journalists, who are often at the forefront of our fight for equity in an unobliging nation.

These journalists stand on the shoulders of some of our earliest pioneers, like civil rights trailblazers Ida B. Wells and Frederick Douglass. They battled constant persecution to challenge racial injustice in America. Other courageous journalists, like Simeon Booker and James L. Hicks, displayed a fierce commitment to justice, reconciling a grieving mother's pain by telling the gruesome story of young Emmett Till at a time when mainstream media outlets ignored his story.

Dr. King once said: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Holding to this statement, Black journalists from the archives of history transcend their mortality. When our stories needed a storyteller, they spoke, and when darkness needed exposure, they illuminated. Today’s Black journalists, such as Abby Phillip, Karen Attiah, Eugene Daniel, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Lester Holt, are following their enlightened path.

One of my heroes, Frederick Douglass, escaped the bondage of slavery and became a renowned orator, abolitionist and writer. Douglass is a true champion of Black journalism. Beginning his career as an orator, Douglass — a known abolitionist — made the leap to journalism. While writing for an abolitionist newspaper, Douglass penned his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which would go on to be his most famous work. This book recounted the terrifying realities of a life enslaved. Upon release, the credibility of Douglass' writing was questioned, and bounties were placed on his life, yet he continued to write.

Douglass’ resilience and strength are illustrated, and so too is Ida B. Wells. Despite being born into enslavement in 1862, Wells would become a central figure in the fight for civil rights. Her work would hold a mirror up to white America, forcing them to acknowledge their monstrous ways — a continued trend of Black journalists in that era.

She is most notable for her exposés on the insidious lynchings that were plaguing the south. In her papers Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases, as well as the The Red Record, Wells spared no detail, however vile. She was an uncompromising force, and her works conveyed the visceral detail of lynchings in all of its brutality. She frequently drew the ire of whites and certain members of the Black community as well, but she had no qualms about it.

Despite being disenfranchised herself, Wells was integral to the women's suffrage movement. Her journalistic exploits and her steadfast quest for justice were paramount in the fight for equity in a segregated America.

Simeon Booker and James L. Hicks have been on my mind frequently as of late due to their exceptional work on the Emmett Till case. Like many of you, the pandemic has taught me to be a good binge-watcher and an even better consumer of content. This quest to find news content and great stories led me to watch ABC's limited series on the life of Mamie Till-Mobley and the tragic murder of Emmitt Till — entitled Women of the Movement. These two men ensured that the story of Mamie Till-Mobley and the horrors that befell her son Emmett Till did not go unheard.

The lynching of Till isn't a new story; regrettably, it's recurring in modern times. The story of Mamie Till-Mobley is also recurring, with new mothers, like Wanda Cooper — the mother of Ahmaud Aubrey — suffering the same pain that Till-Mobley suffered more than 60 years ago.

Present-day Black journalists, like Raisa Habersham, Ryan Young and Sara Snider, have been integral in ensuring Ahmaud's story is told. Their efforts echo the collective bravery of Booker and Hicks. Cooper's grief, as well as her resilience and conviction — which can only be displayed by Black mothers — mirrors that of Till-Mobley's. In collaboration with passionate Black journalists, both mothers worked tirelessly to publicize the barbarity that befell their children. Had it not been for the commitment of Booker, Hicks and Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett may have gone nameless.

The invaluable work that these pioneering Black journalists have done paved the way for myself and colleagues alike. In step with Douglass, Wells, Booker and Hicks, Black journalists today are driven by a profound sense of purpose and determination. The legacy of Black journalists amplifying our voices, addressing our plight and advocating for equity on our behalf continues today. Although decades have come and gone since the days of our predecessors, our community still requires advocacy through storytelling. Black journalists are our dignitaries, bringing our plight and our joy to the center stage. Their words are evocative of our pain, our fear, our hope and our dreams, and they are invaluable assets as we march towards a prosperous tomorrow!

Today, these brave writers, broadcast reporters, radio anchors, White House correspondents, editors, photojournalists, content creators, videographers and producers continue to do what is hard, uplift stories that matter and hold a candle to a community that needs a little bit more shine. And that amplification is a priceless gift.