Women’s History Month 2012: ’31 ladies who rock’ countdown!: Jamilah King
With dangerous bills out there and oppressive sentiment from right wing radicals saturating the media, I am happy to take the next 30 days to spotlight women in my life who are living their dreams and helping others in the process. Check out amazing lady #4:
Jamilah King
Who Is She?
Jamilah King: news editor and media reform reporter at Colorlines.com
Location
Born and raised in San Francisco — now residing in Brooklyn, New York
Known for
– Being a former McNair scholar and Kopkind Fellow
– Previous role as Associate Editor at WireTap Magazine
– Her writing on Salon.com, New America Media, TheNation.com, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Alternet, and Racialicious
– Frequently appearing on community radio and at media conferences around the country
– Talking about race in a meaningful, engaging way
– Being an avid basketball fan and a recovering music junkie
Affiliation
I met Jamilah for the first time in February — we both participated in Paper Tiger Television’s 30th anniversary panel on radical media. I was moderating and Jamilah was one of the awesome panelists. I didn’t know about her prior to the event but I was impressed by her body of work while doing a little research before the panel.
Why Jamilah rocks
I just really appreciate it when successful women of color are open and proud about being raised by a single mother and overcoming financial hardships together. I love this quote from Jamilah about her relationship with her mother:
“We are, for all intents and purposes, each other’s anchors.”
I can relate to Jamilah’s coming out story and (now that I know about her work) I eagerly anticipate her articles on Colorlines.com. They are always in-depth, thoughtful think pieces that are accessible — they really draw you into the issues and help you to understand all the factors. She’s an excellent info parser and translater and uses her position to amplify voices — many that often go unheard by mainstream media. She rocks, OK???
For all profiles this month, visit my Women’s History Month page.