By Aria Brent,
AFRO Staff

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.”

Ashleigh Fields has officially stepped into her role as the assistant editor for the AFRO- American Newspapers. (Courtesy Photo)

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.”

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