Meet the Spring 2023 Community Reporting Fellows

By Jay Marcano

We’re excited to introduce you to our Spring 2023 Community Reporting Fellows!

The Spring 2023 application cycle drew applicants from New Orleans East, Jefferson Parish, and neighborhoods in between, as well as emerging voices from Chicago, Detroit and Puerto Rico. The seven emerging storytellers in this cohort share an interest in writing and multimedia, and a passion for building a more equitable media landscape in and around New Orleans.

They will spend 16 weeks documenting stories around Black motherhood and maternal health in and around New Orleans, while receiving training in multimedia production, storytelling and community reporting. Scroll down to learn more about the cohort, what they plan to do this fall, what equity in news means to them and how they would spend a perfect day in New Orleans.

Each year, about 17 mothers die for every 100,000 pregnancies in the United States, giving the country the worst maternal mortality rate among developed nations, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Rates are more common among Black women than other racial groups. In Louisiana, four Black mothers die for every one white mother, compared to three-to-one nationally.

But there's more to the story than dire statistics. The Spring 2023 cohort will focus on making media that explores nuance and challenges narratives surrounding dire statistics on maternal health outcomes for Black women in Louisiana. They will also work to gather resources to help communities of color navigate care.

To follow along with our fellows and their reporting, sign up for the fellowship newsletter. Please share any tips or suggestions you have for them by emailing ledeneworleans@gmail.com.

Alexis Simms

Meet Alexis Simms, a script-writer and creative from New Orleans. Simms, 22, has worked as a production assistant in the film industry and as a Level Up Community Fellow for the Black Film Festival New Orleans part of the Filmmaker Collective.

Lede New Orleans trains creatives to make equitable media that inspires and informs our city. What does equitable media in New Orleans look like to you?

Equitable media in New Orleans to me looks like an abundance of stories from all over the city. The news should not be our only means to connect with our city. We should be talking to each other, even if it's through other media.

What do you hope to get out of your fellowship?

I hope to gain a disciplined mindset, where I can complete projects without the baggage of fear. I want to build a habit that'll lead me throughout my life.

Imagine it's a perfect sunny and cool fall day in New Orleans. What will we find you doing?

At my house. Chilling

Yacob Arroyo

Meet Yacob Arroyo, a multimedia artist born in Wisconsin and raised in New Orleans. Arroyo, 24, is a recent graduate from Tulane University where he studied graphic design.

Lede New Orleans trains creatives to make equitable media that inspires and informs our city. What does equitable media in New Orleans look like to you?

To ensure equity in New Orleans' media, I believe communities must be given a platform that caters to their unique perspectives, while also considering the social power dynamics influencing who gets to speak on a particular subject and why.

What do you hope to get out of your fellowship?

Through my Lede fellowship I hope to develop new artistic muscles that widen my ability to express ideas and tell stories. I want to use my energy and my new skillset to produce work that does justice for the stories of the people who get to interview. Most importantly, I hope to learn from a bunch of new friends who are all passionate about their craft and the spaces we occupy in New Orleans.

Imagine it's a perfect sunny and cool fall day in New Orleans. What will we find you doing?

Outside on my bike or on a picnic blanket with my sketchbook, listening to some good jams as wind tempers the all-consuming heat of summer.

Cierra Clark

Meet Cierra Clark, a writer and poet from New Orleans. Clark, 25, has worked as a production assistant in the film industry and is an aspiring documentary filmmaker and storyteller.

Lede New Orleans trains creatives to make equitable media that inspires and informs our city. What does equitable media in New Orleans look like to you?

Equitable media in New Orleans means telling stories of the community with care and consideration so that future generations have documentation of the underrepresented and that those stories are not lost. It matters what stories we tell and whose voices are being amplified to construct a better future.

What do you hope to get out of your fellowship?

By the end of this fellowship, I hope that I leave more expanded and even more curious. I hope to become more diverse in my storytelling and grow in the ways that I interact with my community. I hope that I made a change.

Imagine it's a perfect sunny and cool fall day in New Orleans. What will we find you doing?

On a cool and sunny day you can find me outside with a good book and a good cigar.

Madison Grant

Meet Madison Grant, a writer, photographer, videographer and published journalist originally from Chicago. Grant, 20, is currently studying mass communication at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Lede New Orleans trains creatives to make equitable media that inspires and informs our city. What does equitable media in New Orleans look like to you?

Equatable media in New Orleans showcases the city of New Orleans in its entirety. It focuses on the people that make New Orleans the city it is and the city it can be. It allows the citizen of this city to have a voice in their portrayal locally and nationally.

What do you hope to get out of your fellowship?

I am not native to New Orleans, I'm lucky enough to call this city home while I attend school here. I hope to learn more about the people who live here, who grew up here, who lead in this city. In terms of media portrayal I see similarities between my home Chicago and New Orleans. I want to bring new narratives to the forefront and learn about the community I'm surrounded by.

Imagine it's a perfect sunny and cool fall day in New Orleans. What will we find you doing?

My perfect day in New Orleans would include exploring Treme and photographing my walk, a po-boy from Parkway, enjoying the weather at City Park and hanging out with friends.

Brooke Kimbrough

Meet Brooke Kimbrough, a mixed-media artist, storyteller and educator at the Agile Learning Center of New Orleans. Kimbrough, 26, grew up in Detroit. She is an aspiring journalist and painter.

Lede New Orleans trains creatives to make equitable media that inspires and informs our city. What does equitable media in New Orleans look like to you?

Media that covers a wealth of topics important to marginalized communities ranging from how to get food when finances are low to where to send youth who are struggling with justice involvement to where to go to shake some ass on a Thursday night. All the hits.

What do you hope to get out of your fellowship?

Network, community, experience, and opportunities for work and further growth.

Imagine it's a perfect sunny and cool fall day in New Orleans. What will we find you doing?

Meditating in a park or climbing a tree

Jimmie Price

Meet Jimmie Price, a New Orleans native, environmental advocate and host for the Crabs N’ Barrels podcast. Price, 22, has recently graduated from Loyola University New Orleans where he studied environmental science.

Lede New Orleans trains creatives to make equitable media that inspires and informs our city. What does equitable media in New Orleans look like to you?

Equitable media looks like a trustworthy media outlet where people in different parts of the city can have a support system. If it's to keep the community updated on hurricanes, car break-ins, or even if people need food; equitable media should look like this.

What do you hope to get out of your fellowship?

I hope to gain a life-changing experience that will allow me to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally through storytelling.

Imagine it's a perfect sunny and cool fall day in New Orleans. What will we find you doing?

You will catch me playing basketball, inside playing video games, or hanging out with friends.

Sofia Luciano Santiago

Meet Sofia Luciano Santiago, a photographer and published multimedia journalist from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Santiago, 22, has recently graduated from Loyola University of New Orleans where they studied journalism.

Lede New Orleans trains creatives to make equitable media that inspires and informs our city. What does equitable media in New Orleans look like to you?

Equitable media in New Orleans looks like access to information presented in various forms and mediums. More than anything it’s true storytelling whether that be through an anecdotal perspective, an informational perspective or or the experience of those whose stories are being told and shared through their own artistic narrative. Through tools and resources that journalists have, it's part of our job to assist people in telling their stories. That is what true journalism is about . About assisting others in telling their own stories and learning what that looks like for different people and communities. equitable media looks like representation but not through an aspect of model diversity but action towards intersectionality, and action towards prioritizing that the people who are telling their stories are involved in the storytelling process.

What do you hope to get out of your fellowship?

I hope to connect deeply with the people and communities around us. To work on stories that reflect their entirety, from moments of struggle to those of transformation. To tell someone’s story is to have an eye into their life and deepest truths, to look closer, as well as to look beyond to the bigger picture. It's truly something special. I hope to continue learning more about how we can capture people and their truths.

Imagine it's a perfect sunny and cool fall day in New Orleans. What will we find you doing?

During a perfect sunny day in Orleans you will definitely find me outside. Whether that be walking around or biking all around the city, there is truly nothing like the Louisiana sun on a hot day. All I need is a good book like Mayra Santos Febres “Sirena Selena” (currently reading), some cold tamarind juice, and the breeze rustling in between the trees.

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