By AFRO Interns
As summer kicks into high gear, the AFRO would like to take time to recognize the interns that have been working hard all summer for the publication. From man on the street interviews to senior guides and more, the AFRO interns have hit the ground running, covering a range of important topics. Take a look below to see who has been reporting on post traumatic stress disorder, domestic violence on college campuses and putting together the event calendars from week to week. We are proud to be part of their humble beginnings in Black Press and look forward to following their journeys.
Aleisha Robinson, is a junior multimedia journalism major at Morgan State University with a minor in political science. She is from Westmoreland, Jamaica, where she attended St. Elizabeth Technical High School before pursuing her passion for journalism in the United States. At Morgan State, she is currently a member of the track and field team and serves as the campus news editor for the Spokesman, the school’s newspaper.
Robinson is an active participant in the Morgan State University National Association of Black Journalists (MSU-NABJ) and contributes as a journalist to MSU CREATIVES, an organization within the schools Athletic Marketing and Communications department.
Her love for storytelling and journalism stems from a deep admiration for the Black Press and its pivotal role in advocating for social justice and community empowerment. Robinson is excited to work at the AFRO American Newspapers, where she can contribute to amplifying diverse voices and stories that resonate within the Black community.
Throughout her two years of journalistic experience, she has covered a wide range of topics including politics, campus news, community involvement and sports. She aspires to be well-rounded in journalism, specifically in investigative journalism, data journalism, sports journalism and politics. Additionally, she would like to become an author. Beyond journalism, she enjoys reading, drawing and staying active at the gym. As a Black student journalist, she is committed to using her platform to inform, inspire and drive positive change.
Aleisha Robinson
Morgan State University
Multimedia Journalism
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Denim Fisher is a rising freshman at Spelman College studying sociology and creative writing on the pre-law track. She is passionate about activism and the arts. Her passion stems from her childhood. In her younger years, she was encouraged by her mom to study Black history and important, often overlooked events ,like the Tulsa, Okla. race riot and Nat Turner’s rebellion. This upbringing ignited Fisher’s fervor for activism. Fisher is a civic advocate at Beyond Youth Organization (BYO), and an awardee of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations. She is also a poet whose work touches on identity and race.
Fisher is a contestant for the NAACP ACT-SO program, using poetry to question the effects of oppression. She aspires to be a lawyer and “artivist,” pursuing law and the arts. Her purpose is to be a voice for Black and LGBTQ+ communities, challenging the status quo by expressing herself authentically.
Being raised in a predominantly White and Jewish community, and educated by a Eurocentric American education system, Fisher supplemented her education by volunteering and learning from Black community members. She is eager to continue her pursuit of knowledge about Black and queer stories at the AFRO. Fisher lives by the words of Jamaican political activist and Pan-African leader Marcus Garvey, “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”
During her time at the AFRO she hopes to write about education reform, the intersection of domestic and global oppression, the liberation of love and the Baltimore Black arts scene.
Denim Fisher
Spelman College
Pre-law (M.J.)
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Lizzie Suber is a rising senior at Johns Hopkins University. She is double majoring in cognitive science and computer science with a specific focus on psychology. Suber hopes to use her time as an intern to inform and expand her perspective as she develops her ability to approach technology from a human-focused viewpoint.
Suber has seen in her own life the power of knowing what other Black people are doing. Acknowledging the diversity of the Black community evokes within her a deep sense of unity with other Black people that she struggles to feel otherwise. She joined the AFRO because it exposes readers to parts of the Black experience previously unknown to them, which cultivates a broader sense of Black unity within them.
While at the AFRO, Suber has written about various events in Baltimore, documented Black opinions on fatherhood and Juneteenth, and even created a crossword puzzle to bring some fun to the publication. She aims to use her writing to explore the “why” behind Black stories.
In her free time, Suber enjoys watching sunsets, spending time in nature, scrapbooking and making origami.
Lizzie Suber
Johns Hopkins University
Cognitive Science and Computer Science
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Mekhi Abbott is a master’s candidate at the University of Maryland, specializing in multimedia journalism. Abbott has been writing for the AFRO since Oct. 2023. This year, he is doing an internship with the AFRO, focused on sports journalism.
Abbott is a student-athlete and he completed his undergraduate studies at Howard University. During his time at the institution, he became a three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion. He joined the Maryland Terrapins as a graduate transfer, and made it to the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Region Championships. He has used his time at University of Maryland to become a better journalist and the school’s new record holder in the javelin.
“Working for the Black press is important to me because there are still so many neglected and untold stories in the greater D.C., Maryland and Virginia area – which many major publications ignore. At the AFRO, we tell the major stories, but we also make sure that our Black and Brown communities are being properly represented in the media.”
Abbott is passionate about historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and the intersection of sports, race and culture. He aspires to be a television personality one day and takes inspiration from Stephen A. Smith, Bomani Jones and Kevin Blackistone. Outside of writing, Abbott loves football and fashion.
Mekhi Abbott
University of Maryland
Journalism
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Mackenzie Williams is a senior at Howard University in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in women, gender and sexuality studies.
Williams currently serves as the president of the Howard University Association of Black Journalists (HUABJ) and she is executive producer of News for Spotlight Network, which is a campus media organization. This summer, she will join other student elects to work on the student multimedia project for the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention in Chicago as a Producer for NABJ TV.
Outside of journalism, Williams enjoys community service, spending time with friends and walking in nature.
Throughout her experience working for the AFRO Newspapers, she has explored and written about topics such as domestic violence, Black mental health and entertainment.
Williams is honored to join the ranks of the Black Press this summer, as she understands the importance of keeping the Black press alive and raising awareness on issues that affect the community.
- Mackenzie Williams
Howard University
Broadcast Journalism
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Born and raised in Baltimore, Tierra Stone has been exposed to a myriad of cultures and creative expressions. She developed an interest in creative writing and theater from an early age, but it was multimedia journalism that stole her heart and took her to Morgan State University.
“When I first graduated from highschool I was very directionless and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life—theater was always a passion of mine, but it didn’t make me happy and I wasn’t fulfilled. When I stopped studying theater, my love for writing mixed with my passion for storytelling and wanting to be on television made me realize that journalism was where I always needed to be.”
Stone is currently in her junior year at Morgan State where she previously worked as a staff writer for the Spokesman, which is a student-run campus newspaper. Some of her influences include Lester Holt, Christiane Amanpour and Oprah Winfrey. As she continues her journey of completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes that her work as a student journalist will carry her towards her career goal of one day becoming a correspondent for the Today Show, 60 Minutes or Dateline NBC.
When she isn’t working Stone likes to split her time between reading books, visiting local art museums and enjoying delicious food with her family and friends.
Tierra Stone
Morgan State University
Multimedia journalism
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Gabrielle Howard is a junior journalism and mass communications student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T).
Howard is passionate about using journalism and communications to uplift marginalized communities and educate others about social issues. She has set her sights on joining the ranks of the Black Press because of her appreciation for the legacy of Black journalism and the crucial role Black voices play in shaping media narratives.
Her dedication to her field was recognized when she was selected as a Class of 2024 ColorComm NextGen Fellow, from ColorComm, a leading platform for women in communications.
Howard also enjoys reading and sewing, to express her creativity outside of her academic pursuits.
Gabrielle Howard
North Carolina A & T
Journalism and Mass Communications
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Saniyah Larkins is an intern at the AFRO American Newspapers. She enjoys writing poetry and singing in her free time. Larkins is a 16-year-old senior at Western High School. She is in the choir and the National Honors Society.
When she goes to college, she wants to major in veterinary science and minor in journalism. Larkins wants to work at the AFRO because of its history in Black culture. While there, she wants to share more about teens’ political opinions because she believes their voices matter.
Being a teenager herself, Larkins believes that the opinions of people her age aren’t often taken into account when it comes to politics because they can’t vote– and when they are, it’s usually a dig at their generation.
She believes that teens should be able to be taken into account when it comes to politics because they are going to be the new adults. Larkin is determined to get her generation to be heard in politics because she doesn’t want her generation to live in a world where somebody else picked for them.
Saniyah Larkins
Western High School
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Madeline Seck is a senior attending the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Seck is a double major in broadcast journalism and digital media communication with a minor in Black women’s studies.
She is the president of the Maryland Association of Black Journalists (MABJ) and the University of Maryland’s Chapter of NABJ for the upcoming Fall 2024 semester.
Outside of journalism, Seck loves reading, gaming, art and creating content.
Throughout her experience working in journalism at UMD and the AFRO Newspapers, she has explored topics about Black pop culture, fashion, arts and entertainment and feminist topics, such as rights for survivors of domestic violence.
As a Black journalist, Seck is proud to intern for a Black press this summer because she values telling stories that give a voice to underrepresented and marginalized communities and groups. She chose to intern at the AFRO Newspapers because they prioritize diversity, advocacy and stories that matter.
Madeline Seck
University of Maryland
Broadcast Journalism and Digital Media Communication
The post AFRO Interns on the move: Meet the next generation of Black journalists appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
