South Jersey Information Equity Project welcomes four inaugural fellows

First cohort will produce restorative narrative-oriented stories about and for Black communities in South Jersey

The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University is proud to announce four new fellows as part of the first South Jersey Information Equity Project (SJIEP) fellowship cohort. Fellows Jayden Cohen-Boyce, Charles Curtis, III, Ahnyah Pinckney, Sidney Toussaint, and Emmanuel Young will join us starting next week to produce restorative narrative-oriented stories about and for Black communities in South Jersey.

This year’s fellows will report from their communities in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties, building on SJIEP goals to support local journalists and media creators and address media inequity in South Jersey. Fellows will meet with community members in co-creation workshops to identify coverage gaps to inform their reporting, and stories produced between May and July will be featured on the SJIEP website and in partnering news outlets.

These fellowships are supported by funding from the Independence Public Media Foundation.

We’ll check in with more project updates in the months to come. For now, we’re exited to share their bios below, and welcome Jayden, Charles, Ahnyah, Sidney, and Emmanuel to the Center!

Jayden Cohen-Boyce

An alumnus of Stockton University, Jayden Cohen-Boyce has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a minor in Africana Studies. He was born and raised in Willingboro.

“I love to turn creative ideas into something worth sharing, or even better, something worth keeping,” Cohen-Boyce said. “I have a passion for creating in as many ways as possible, whether that be through written and visual storytelling, music and performance, and clothing.”

Cohen-Boyce is the founder of the Boro Take Back initiative, which plans events and hosts discussions around the needs and wants of the community. “South Jersey is my home, and I want to see it flourish, so others can see my community how I do.”

You can reach Jayden Cohen-Boyce via email at jcohenboyce@yahoo.com.

Charles Curtis III

Charles Curtis III is a poet, songwriter, spoken word artist and business owner hailing from Camden.

Curtis has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Kean University and synthesizes his poetry and political knowledge to encourage community interaction with local government. Currently, he works with CamdenOne to disseminate information to the public and connect community members to art and entertainment events happening locally. He is the founder and owner of Broken Minds LLC, which utilizes creative art as a form of therapy for inner-city residents. As a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Curtis has a passion for community service. He loves anime and his hobbies include listening to music, attending open mics, trying new foods and watching documentaries. He can be reached via email at charlescurtisthethird@gmail.com.

Ahnyah Pinkney

South Jersey native Ahnyah Pinkney is excited to cover stories in the region. She grew up in Willingboro and has lived in other South Jersey towns, including Blackwood, Washington Township and Sicklerville.

“Hearing Black voices is so important,” said Ahnyah. “I believe it is my duty to help tell those stories.” Previously, she worked on a project about the misrepresentation of Black women in the media and created a website about Black-owned businesses in South Jersey. She looks forward to covering these issues, exercising her journalism training, and supporting her community as part of the SJIEP fellowship.

Ahnyah will graduate from Rowan University with a bachelor’s in journalism in the fall of 2022, which she considers her greatest accomplishment. She says, “I believe God put me on this earth to help people, and if getting their stories out is the way to do it, I am happy with that.”

You can reach Ahnyah Pinckney on Instagram @pinckneyyy__

Emmanuel Young

Emmanuel Young is a photographer, activist and videographer from Woolwich. He is a graduating senior at Hampton University in Virginia and will soon receive a bachelor of arts in journalism. Before journalism, Emmanuel wanted to go into education and teach history. But after participating in his high school’s Broadcast News Club he realized he could educate more people using his camera and writing skills.

Young is a student member of the National Association of Black Journalists, works on the media team for his college marching band, and is a recent viceroy of Barstool Sports at his school. His hobbies include photography, film study, cooking and bowling. Since he has focused on visual storytelling to date, Young hopes that the SJIEP fellowship will strengthen his writing and photography skills and create an opportunity to highlight important issues in his community.

Contact Emmanuel Young on LinkedIn, his personal website, or via email at youngemmanuel249@gmail.com.

The South Jersey Information Equity Project was conceived by the Center for Cooperative Media in late 2019 through a partnership with the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. To learn more about this project, visit sjiep.org.

Adrienne Bauldock is the project coordinator for the South Jersey Information Equity Project. Contact her at bauldocka@montclair.edu.

About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Local News Lab (a partnership of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Community Foundation of New Jersey), and the Abrams Foundation. For more information, visit CenterforCooperativeMedia.org.