Nyah Marshall’s Timeline of Powerful Storytelling: Interactive Resume
Whew, I made it! Not just to the end of this class or to the end of this semester, but to the end of my collegiate career at Howard University. It was a bittersweet, but joyful moment reflecting on all I’ve accomplished these past three years while constructing my interactive resume. To give some background,…
Lost, But Unforgotten Black Towns
Many of us have heard about the lost City of Greenwood, Oklahoma, home to the Black Wall Street. An entire community of Black businesses, homes, churches and schools were destroyed., burned down and had to be abandoned because a white woman claimed a Black man had attacked her. Unfortunately, the story of the Tulsa Massacre…
Environmental Injustice in Newark: New Jersey’s Biggest Crime Scene
“The people of New Jersey can’t use what should be one of their greatest natural resources because it was stolen from them by corporate greed years ago,” said U.S. Sen. and former Newark mayor, Cory Booker, who spoke on the environmental racism the city suffers from. “I’ve said it before and I will say it…
What’s in Front of You?: A Day at Malcolm X Park
This week I visited Malcolm X Park, or Meridian Hill Park depending on who you ask. Despite it being about a 20 minute walk from me, I’ve never been to this historically significant national park that sits on a hill in the middle of Washington. The story Malcolm X park and the reason why it’s…
Spotlighting Howard Gems: Fahmatalie’s Snack Cart
Howard University Students, you pass it everyday on your way down the hill walking away from the School of Business. It’s across from the Ira Aldridge Theater and always holds an array of snacks, treats and drinks. It’s something that’s almost always at your disposal through rain, shine, cold and heat—have you ever stopped and…
Mid-Semester Mindfulness: #huvizjourn reflection
Welcome back everyone to In Black and Write! It’s officially mid-semester, meaning I am less than two months ways from graduation! Among the courses that I’ve had to take this semester—my last semester as an undergrad at Howard University— Visual Journalism has been one of the most enriching ones. This course has helped me to…
A Creative’s Diary Pt.1
Starring Jaida Marshall, fashion designer Step into the world of Jaida Marshall, a self taught fashion designer who aspires to be a renowned street-wear designer. I often like to say that the world revolves around Black creativity—from the songs at the top of the charts, the viral dances on social media, the trendy slang being…
Owning Our Narratives: Black Women in Media 2022
To be able to create our own narratives is something that Black women weren’t always able to do, which is why now, when we see it in the media it is important to recognize it, highlight it and celebrate it. For this reason, in honor of Black History Month and to celebrate Black women everywhere,…
Slowing Down
This past holiday season I temporarily deleted my Instagram and Twitter from my phone, spent two months in my childhood home with my family and just appreciated being able to wake up with no pressing obligations. Life has been moving overwhelmingly fast lately and I needed that time to stop, breathe, appreciate what I have…
Blogging Tips That’ll Stick
As I’ve grown as a storyteller and person, I’ve learned to value the creative outlets this digital age has provided. With knowing how much I write, I can’t imagine how hard it’d be for me to be confined by newspaper word limits and page space. This is why I appreciate the art of blogging; as…
The J & N Show: Corona Consequences
You’re listening to the J&N show, where we talk about anything and everything concerning college life and students. On today’s episode of “Corona Consequences” we’ll examine how Covid-19 has transformed the way we conduct physical activity and answer the question “are people exercising more or less outside,” through the perspective of 3 college athletes. Special…
Vineland Board of Education Members Change the Fate of Oak and Main School
The Vineland Board of Education in Vineland, New Jersey, held an unscheduled “Special Meeting” to discuss possible action regarding the Oak and Main School property. This meeting took place on March 16, 2021 as board members ended a three year long debate about what to do with the Oak and Main property— instead of putting…
Achievement Gaps Widen at South Jersey School as COVID-19 Disproportionately Impacts Minority Students
Long before Covid-19 uprooted the U.S. education system, schools around the country were experiencing alarming achievement gaps between minority/low-income students and white/high-income students. Now, these achievement gaps are widening as Covid-19 is disproportionately impacting low-income communities of color. These gaps in achievement form as soon as a child enters the U.S. education system. The American…
COVID-19 Stressors Heightens Opioid Epidemic in Cumberland County
David Hernandez, 33, a former Vineland, New Jersey, resident was a recovering addict. With the help of the Cumberland C.AR.E.S addiction recovery nonprofit in Vineland, David was able to reach his nine-month sobriety milestone in December of 2020. During his road to recovery he obtained a job at a local factory, was healthy enough to…
Pandemic Forces Black-owned Businesses in Cumberland County to Adjust
After the 2020 holiday season passed, many small businesses experienced a surge in profits and ultimately were able to make up the revenue they lost during the height of the pandemic, as reported by the Daily Journal in Vineland, New Jersey. However, to be able to do so, they had to first make necessary pandemic-related…
The Triumphs and Struggles of A Second-Generation American Student
Marilynn Miguel, a sophomore, sociology major at Harvard College, is a first generation student familiar with the many struggles a second-generation American faces as they try to attain higher educational success. Both of Miguel’s parents immigrated from Mexico to New Jersey in hopes of providing a better life for her and her sister. Their story…
The Digital Divide and Technology Struggles Poses Challenges For Seniors During the Pandemic
Carol Marshall, 69, lives at Luther Acres, an assisted living apartment complex in Vineland, New Jersey. Her days were once spent being as active as possible outside of her home, but now as the pandemic has altered all aspects of her daily living activities, her days are now spent alone, inside the walls of her…
Data Visualization in Journalism
Data visualization is an important component to multimedia journalism that helps journalists to organize their information and readers to understand dense data. Making number heavy information concise with data visualization is important so that the public can draw the necessary conclusions about their environment and society. With this being said, data visualization in storytelling simply…
Where Do We Draw the Line: The Exploitation of Black Trauma
With the release of the trailer for Lena Waithe’s new series “Them,” many Black Twitter users went to the platform to express how they’re tired of producers exploiting Black Trauma. “Them” explores the terror in America. Set in the 1950s, this season centers around a Black family who move from North Carolina to an all-white…
Local Nonprofit Struggles to Provide Youth Engagement for South Jersey Community
WeCare, a nonprofit organization in Cumberland County, New Jersey, that’s dedicated to youth empowerment, is one of the many nonprofits and small businesses struggling to stay afloat during the current pandemic. Many people living in the small South Jersey county where WeCare is based is familiar with the organization’s pink and green logo, it’s Thursday…
Lighting and Composition
A component to being a good multimedia storytelling is being able to tell a story using photos. To do so, you need to learn your camera and intentionally capture your images using various techniques. A good photojournalist is able to demonstrate this and use photos to tell a story that is timely, impactful, has details,…
South Jersey Native Inspires Communities With Nonprofit
A message that Brenda Phillips, the founder of the South Jersey youth empowerment non-profit, WeCare, often reiterates is “I am someone who fortunately but unfortunately has a story for everything.” She is someone who didn’t become a product of the negative environment she grew up in, but instead used it to fuel her passions, and…
We Could all Learn a Few Things From Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed, the world’s leading independent digital media company, is one of the first media companies that come to mind when I think of ones that excel in the multimedia space. One aspect that’s compelling about the website is that they have trending topics right at the top of the website to get readers to engage…
Community Profile: Vineland, NJ
About Vineland is a city in Cumberland County New Jersey. It is one of the cities located in southern New Jersey, and has a population size of about 60,724. Vineland is one of the three and the biggest city in the county, the other two being Millville and Bridgeton. Of all the municipalities in New…
Detecting Fake News 101
Learn why the article, “Trump’s grandfather was a pimp and tax evader; his father a member of the KKK,” is a piece of fake news:
Bill Gates is Commendable (To a Certain Extent)
We’ve become so content with what we call “the Internet” today, that we don’t even think about its origin. I know this because I personally did not care about what or who created these online spaces for us until I watched the “Browser Wars” documentary in my digital media literacy class. Think about it, before…
“Nosedive” Will be Our Reality
Black Mirror’s season 3, episode 1, “Nosedive,” eerily reflects our society and the numerous ranking systems we have in place. This episode follows the main character, Lacie, as she falls victim to the obsession her society has with ranking one another. They live everyday tethered to a number that determines their value and how they…
Is Technology Hurting or Helping Friendships?
Many people, especially in my generation, find it difficult forming new relationships in new environments, but technology seems to have made it easier. For instance, before coming to Howard University as a freshman, a lot of people formed relationships with each other through social media and group chats. No one wanted to be alone freshman…
The Stupidity Epidemic is a Scapegoat
There have been countless times in history, and even in today’s society, when people have resorted to scapegoating to lesson the burden of their own problems. A recurring problem in American society is education, and the question if our youth are truly being educated well enough to positively contribute to society. With this responsibility on…
Me, Myself, and my Cellphone
When you’re invited somewhere, and all you need is yourself, you don’t just bring yourself anymore. You bring your actual self, and your cellphone. Cellphones have become parts of our daily lives so much, that they’ve basically become parts of our bodies. I personally don’t leave the house without my phone, unless I have to;…
6ix9ine, Me, and Ernest Withers are Snitches
Growing up, I remember I never wanted to be considered a “tattle-tale” or a snitch, and it’s no secret that this same mentality and perspective on snitches exists in our society, specifically within the Black community. But why? Why does our community hate snitches so much? These thoughts came to me as I was on…
Selfies EMPOWER
How many selfies of yourself do you currently have on your phone right now? I was able to figure this out by looking at my GooglePhotos photo album (which is great at storing your photos and saving space on your phone btw) and from 2016 to today I have taken OVER 800 selfies. This includes…
In Black and Write 