Written/Print
Here is a sample of some written and print stories (justice, local, international, tech etc.) covered over the years.
Disney Dreamers get Ready to take on the World
Org: The New York Amsterdam News
Summary: Tears of joy and passion flowed at the close of this year’s Disney Dreamers Academy as both teens and parents embraced each other at the end of the intensive four day program.
The Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and ESSENCE Magazine is an educational and mentoring retreat designed to teach talented minority high school students the skills needed to achieve their dreams. The annual retreat is highly selective. Only 100 high school students from thousands of applications are selected. Prospective students are chosen via their essay submissions.
“I heard about the program on Steve Harvey’s morning show,” said Brooklyn born Meredith Benson whose son attended this year’s program. “I said, ‘You better write that essay boy!’” she joked.
Oil isn’t well in the world
Org: The New York Amsterdam News
Summary: Low oil and gas prices are wreaking havoc on economies across the globe. Countries with once healthy budgets have been forced to dip into their savings just to keep the lights on and their public workers paid.
Once costing $148 a barrel in 2008 — an all-time high — prices have since dropped to below $30 a barrel in part because of increased drilling in North America and Saudi Arabia’s attempts to undercut American production. Now, there is more oil in the world than anyone knows what to do with, and it is the producers who are really feeling the burn.
Brazil and Trinidad cut back on Carnival
Org: The New York Amsterdam News
Summary: Every year, thousands of tourists and locals flock to Brazil and Trinidad to experience the biggest street parties on Earth, but this year the two Carnival powerhouses are scaling back the festivities because of a financial crisis.
Budget cuts and other austerity measures by both governments have forced the nations to scale back their main competitions and parades. The fall in prices of global commodities such as oil and iron ore, along with alleged local mismanagement of budgets, has led both nations into financial troubles.
Double Dutch — Not Just Child’s Play
Org: Harlem Focus
Summary: Sweat rolled down competitors’ foreheads as teams from as far as France and Japan competed in the 24th Annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic last Sunday.
Double Dutch competitions first started in 1974. They involve speed tests, doubles sets and dance components. But don’t be fooled, this is not just a child’s game anymore.
Ali Abdullah Claims his Place in the Tech World
Org: Harlem Focus/Amsterdam News
Summary: Nestled in a recently renovated East Harlem building, Ali Abdullah runs around his office in preparation for my interview. This Harlem born and raised entrepreneur recently scored $1.1 million in seed funding from angel investors for is start-up, Claim It!. (Writer/Photographer)
10 Things You Should Know About Applying for an Internship
Org: Harlem Focus
Summary: As an internship coordinator, my job is to pour over tons of applications every semester. Let me tell you something. It’s like Game of Thrones out there. The competition is stiff and nothing is ever promised. No internship or application is ever a sure thing. That said, here are a few things I think you should know that just may put you ahead of the rest. (Writer)
What exactly is China building in Africa?
Org: The New York Amsterdam News
Summary: This month, China opened its first military base abroad in Djibouti, a small country on the Horn of Africa. This operation comes months after co-launching a new, sleek, multi-billion-dollar railway system that carves into the landscape from that country’s coast to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. These multi-billion dollar investments are just two of the many projects on the continent funded by an influx of Chinese loans and partnerships. This activity has some locals ecstatic about potential opportunity for growth and trade, whereas others remain fearful of a new type of colonization.
Man walks free after being wrongfully imprisoned for 17 years
Org: Amsterdam News
Summary: After serving 17 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Roger Logan is now a free man.
“It’s a feeling that’s hard to talk about,” he said. “I’m thankful.”
Logan, who was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder in 1997, heard that he would be a free man mere hours before his Tuesday, June 3 court appearance.
NYPD Hosts Teen Tournament
Org: Amsterdam News
Summary: In Harlem, when Black kids and the NYPD interact it’s not always under the best circumstances, but this time was different.
NYPD Community Affairs officers in collaboration with local community leaders held the Patrol Borough Manhattan North 1st Unity in the Community, Basketball Tournament, championship game at 104th and Amsterdam Ave. last Tuesday…
Mentorship Q&A with Uri Maxima
Org: The SPOTT
Summary: Maxima, born and raised in Belmont, always loved to create and build. Over the years he’s co-founded a number of companies and spearheaded numerous projects. He now resides in Harlem, NYC and you may have heard of him from one of our early Twitter #SPOTTchats. His latest endeavor, Hivebridge Labs, focuses on ‘solving & reducing inefficiencies one industry at a time.’
The Cost of Juvenile Justice
Org: Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
Summary: Ramírez is one of thousands of teens who pass through New York City’s juvenile justice system every year. This system costs the city and state billions of dollars annually. The city spends more money to detain or incarcerate a teenager per year than it spends on education. Even with recent attempts by the city to lower its juvenile justice bill, advocates familiar with the system still think the financial costs on the city and young people’s families are too high.
Cauldron of Creation
How Andy Carvin turned social media into a powerful tool for covering the Arab Spring.
(Photo by Scott Beale/Laughing Squid)
Org: 219 Magazine
Summary: As the Arab Spring swept through North Africa and the Middle East, Andy Carvin (@acarvin), the senior social media strategist for NPR, tweeted the news from his home near Washington almost without rest. His Twitter feed covered the breakout rebellions in Tunisia and Egypt, their spread to Bahrain, Libya and Yemen, and the ongoing tragedy in Syria. In the process, Carvin developed ways to enhance the journalistic value of social media, scouring online tweets and videos for the best sources providing the most trustworthy information.
