The Sidebar by NYABJ

“A show about the world of media, through the lens of Black media-makers.”

Organization:
New York Association of Black Journalists (NYABJ)

Syndication: 2022 - Present

My Role:
Correspondent & Producer (2022-)
Former Lead Development Producer (2022)
Co-Founder

Favorite Episodes Produced

Aired June 2022

I reached out to Akoto Ofori-Atta, co-founder and Chief Audience Officer of Capital B News, for this conversation about starting and scaling news ventures, as well as engagement journalism, but had long followed her work on gun violence as the former managing editor at The Trace.

I asked her about the impactful Since Parkland reporting project (a partnership with the Miami Herald, McClatchy and student reporters) and how that work has continued to impact her. Just weeks after we spoke, the tragic mass shootings in Uvalde, TX and Buffalo, NY took place, which only served as a sobering reminder about the reality of gun violence in this country.

Aired December 2022

Salary transparency has been hailed by some as a “transformative step toward wage equity,” but I wondered how the measure, which would require NYC employers to include “good-faith” salary ranges on all job listings, might actually impact Black and other marginalized workers trying to keep up with the exorbitant cost of living.

So I called up The City editor Hasani Gittens and economist Michelle Holder to dig into pay equity, earnings gaps and the role of the pandemic even deeper. Plus, I got to include some real money conversations via photographer Ravie B. Varona at Culture Con 2022, which describes itself as “the ultimate creative homecoming”.

Learn more about NYC’s Salary Transparency Law or report violations or discrimination by visiting the NYC CCHR’s website.

Aired March 2024

I was invited to moderate this special Valentine’s Day episode of the podcast, which was also the show’s first live taping! I felt out of my depth talking about love and relationships (This was certainly never my beat) but dug into the panelists’ work and crowd-sourced burning questions from NYABJ’s members and social followers.

Ultimately, I had a blast getting to talk with Charli Penn (Executive Lifestyle Director at Apartment Therapy Media), Brenden Durell (Intimacy Expert for Netflix’s Too Hot To Handle), Damona Hoffman (Certified Dating Coach and TV Personality on The Drew Barrymore Show) and Dr. Armon Perry (Professor and Program Director for the Bachelor of Social Work at University of Louisville).

I felt like even the most jaded among us could listen to this episode and feel more hopeful than when they started!