By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com There are currently 49 seats in the James S. Brady briefing room for White House reporters dedicated to covering the most trying truths of our nation’s present and past. Only one belongs to a Black owned media outlet, well half a seat. The Grio, short for the griot, a term […]
Author Archives: Ashleigh Fields
A fresh perspective has arrived at The AFRO-American Newspapers. Ashleigh Fields has been named the new assistant editor, bringing new ideas to the oldest Black-owned business in Maryland.
Fields’ passion for Black media is one she’s been pursuing throughout her entire college tenure. The North Carolina native is a graduating senior at Howard University, majoring in journalism with a minor in Afro-American studies. The young writer has served as the editor for “The Hilltop,” the nation’s oldest Black collegiate newspaper founded at Howard, and has previously been featured in Rolling Stone magazine.
“Knowing that there are people across the globe and across the nation that care about what happens to Black students is important to me and I was happy to be able to uplift that during my time at Howard,” Fields stated.
She is a second generation journalist, and noted that seeing her mother interact with the people in their community always inspired her. These interactions showed her that she can make a difference through journalism and that’s exactly what she plans to do at the AFRO.
“I’m hoping to bring a millennial audience to the AFRO and help grow our outreach in the D.C area. I really want to focus on telling human stories, featuring people who are living and working in all aspects of life,” exclaimed Fields when explaining some of the goals she’s looking to accomplish while working at the AFRO. “I also want to include more collegiate writers who are eager to get their work published and eager to learn more about journalism.They have a valuable voice to add to the many conversations we’re having in minority communities.”
Fields explained that she thinks Black media is currently under assault that people both inside and outside of the Black community are beginning to value the Black perspective less. Despite this, Fields noted that Black media and the influence it has is still very essential.
Giving recognition to journalism moguls such as Oprah Winfrey and Cathy Hughes, she’s eager to learn more from the many women who work at the AFRO.
“I’m really excited to learn from Black women in leadership within the media realm,” said Fields. “My goal is to combat the misinformation and disinformation targeted at the Black community via social media and elsewhere.”
Posted in!Front Page National News
Here’s what you should know about the marijuana pardons from President Joe Biden
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com Thousands of citizens now have the opportunity to clear their records of convictions relating to marijuana usage, to include simple and attempted possession charges. This new opportunity was announced by President Biden ahead of the Christmas holiday on Dec. 22 and applies to all cases federally and in the District […]
Posted in!Front Page National News
Trump and Biden boast wins in New Hampshire primary
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden remain top contenders in the 2024 presidential election. Both of them won the New Hampshire primary for their respective parties this week with only one of the two appearing on the ballot. Biden secured 73 percent of the votes as a write-in […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Trespassers vandalize Howard University’s Benjamin E. Mays Hall
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com Howard University officials are looking into a recent break-in at Benjamin E. Mays Hall, which housed the institution’s School of Divinity from 1987 to 2015. A viral video shows the individuals breaking into the building through the mechanical entrance. Vandals recorded themselves deploying a dry ice fire extinguisher inside, roaming […]
Posted in!Front Page National News
Former President Donald Trump wins Iowa Republican caucus
Iowa voters braved the cold weather to cast their ballots in the Republican primary on Jan. 15, with Donald Trump winning by a landslide, leaving supporters of Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley vying for second place, while Vivek Ramaswamy trailed with less than 10 percent of votes and Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign on Jan. 10.
Posted inENVIRONMENT
EPA Administrator Michael Regan announces move to replace public school buses with electric vehicles
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com Decades after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called for environmental justice, Michael Regan is leading the push for environmental equity. The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical graduate has a track record of gold when it comes to championing civil rights within disenfranchised communities. He currently serves as the 16th administrator […]
Posted inD.C. Events
Black leaders sound off about National Museum of African American History and Culture’s first official Kwanzaa exhibit
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will display its first official Kwanzaa exhibit until Jan. 1, 2024. A kinara, mkeka mat and a playlist debuted at the museum on Dec. 26. The week-long Pan-African holiday was originally founded in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga to […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Black leaders sound off about National Museum of African American History and Culture’s first official Kwanzaa exhibit
By Ashleigh Fields AFRO Assistant Editor afields@afro.com The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will display its first official Kwanzaa exhibit until Jan. 1, 2024. A kinara, mkeka mat and a playlist debuted at the museum on Dec. 26. The week-long Pan-African holiday was originally founded in 1966 by Maulana Ron […]
Posted inNEWS
Virginia Ali, co- founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl, turns 90 years old
Virginia Ali, co-founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl, celebrated her 90th birthday at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C., with family and friends, and was honored by Mayor Muriel Bowser, Sheila Johnson, and Donnie Simpson.
Posted inCivil Rights
Leave No Veteran Behind celebrates 75 years of military desegregation
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com Approximately 75 years ago, President Harry S. Truman desegregated the United States military, forever changing the landscape of defense by blurring racial lines and unblocking life changing opportunities for service members of color. This year, local non-profit Leave No Veteran Behind, invited everyone from soldiers from the front lines to […]
Posted inMedia
Washington Association of Black Journalists hosts 2023 gala at Howard University
By Ashleigh FieldsAFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com Veteran communication professionals imparted wisdom on reporters young and old at the Washington Association of Black Journalists (WABJ) Scholarship Gala on Dec. 2. A deserving group of seven individuals were honored for their strides toward inclusivity and equality in news gathering for members of the media across the nation. “ Each […]
Posted inHealth
World AIDS Day Conference convenes in the nation’s capital
By Ashleigh Fields AFRO Assistant Editorafields@afro.com Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) observed the impact of her 25-year-old Minority AIDS Initiative at 25 through the lens of benefactors at the World AIDS Day Conference on Dec. 1. The initiative was established by Congress in 1998 with the objective to provide evidence-based treatment to HIV patients with primary […]