NPR • 21st July 2024

Trench collapses have killed hundreds of workers in the U.S. over the last decade

More than 250 people have died since 2013 when trenches they were working in caved in. In most cases, the employers failed to follow basic government regulations for making trenches safe.

NPR.org • 30th September 2022

ICYMI: A Young Family's Journey From Ivory Coast To New York City : 1A

Salimata, her husband Moussa, and their baby son, Ibrahim, fled violence in their home country of Ivory Coast. They arrived in Texas this year, seeking asylum in the United States. After a day at a shelter, they were put on a bus and dropped off in Washington, D.C. 1A producer Avery J.C. Kleinman talked to Salimata and Sue as part of a conversation on 1A about what's happening to migrants being bussed north.

Washington Post • 30th September 2022

They learned they were dating the same man. They dumped him, took a vacation together.

Three weeks after finding out about each other, the women boarded a plane to Costa Rica for a getaway.

WAMU • 2nd May 2022

Dance Loft Aims To Build New Permanent Home On 14th Street

“Arts organizations that buy their buildings are the ones that are ensured permanent sustainability,” she said, pointing to Dance Place in Brookland as an example. “The trend in D.C. has been that arts organizations that rent their facilities typically eventually close.”

DCist • 1st April 2022

Why You Don't Need To Fear DC Sidewalk Grates

No, a sidewalk grate did not write this.

NPR • 20th October 2021

From Scar to James Bond enemy Safin, movie villains have long shared a harmful trope

American moviegoers spent about $56 million dollars during opening weekend on tickets for the new James Bond film No Time To Die. Sitting in theaters across the country, they stared up at the villain Safin, who shares more in common with past villains than his disdain for the handsome and suave titular character. Safin's face is covered with scars, continuing a long-time trend of Bond's greatest on-screen adversaries having facial differences.

29th July 2021

Bassnectar Responds to Lawsuit: ‘Nothing More Than an Attempt By Opportunistic Women’

I wrote a follow-up to my investigation into the allegations against Bassnectar.

30th June 2021

The Fall of the Bassnectar Empire

According to women and former collaborators who spoke to VICE, and a new lawsuit, the EDM star abused his fame and power to build a complex web of secret and manipulative relationships.

Washington Post • 14th October 2021

Jazz venues have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. They are hoping the worst is over.

The closures are part of a decades-long trend exacerbated by the pandemic. Although many have triumphantly reopened their doors in recent weeks and months, jazz clubs were the hardest hit of all types of music venues, according to Audrey Fix Schaefer, the head of communications at the National Independent Venue Association.

1A • 30th June 2021

Bassnectar, Problematic Artists And Narrative Control

How do fans grapple with allegations against their favorite artists? And what comes of the community they’ve built?

Washington City Paper • 9th March 2018

Harm Reduction Advocates Want to Make Echostage Safer

You wouldn’t have known it was close to freezing looking at the exterior of the cavernous, warehouse-like concert venue Echostage on a recent Friday night. For every person bundled in a winter coat, someone else wore no jacket at all. Men in tank tops emblazoned with the logo of the electronic duo performing that night, Above & Beyond, wrapped their arms around glitter-faced women in fishnet stockings and booty shorts. The show was sold out, and the line snaked down Queens Chapel Road in Northe

Washington Post • 17th November 2020

This D.C. press helps diverse young writers express themselves ‘from a place of power’

Since the killing of George Floyd, Sasa Aakil’s bedroom has looked more like an art studio than somewhere to sleep. The 17-year-old transformed her small room in Silver Spring, Md., into a makeshift art space, with the materials for her homemade printing operation strewn about.

1A • 18th October 2018

A Sisterhood Of Sexual Assault Survivors Are Sharing Stories, Shouting Back

You are not alone. That’s been the message on social media as more and more people have come forward to share their stories and experiences with sexual assault and abuse. The charge was ignited by Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She told the committee that Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while she was in high school.

Washington Post • 21st July 2020

Uighur school aims to keep a community together, even during the coronavirus pandemic

Teaching conjugation and vocabulary to a raucous class of 8- to 12-year-olds isn’t easy. Doing so in a video conference, when buffering can garble even the best pronunciation, adds a new difficulty. When that language is Uighur, which best estimates predict slightly more than 10,000 people in America speak at home, the challenge is especially pronounced.

1A • 27th January 2020

What The Controversy Over 'American Dirt' Tells Us About Publishing And Authorship

Have you ever read a novel that you felt misrepresented your culture? How did it feel?

Washington Post • 9th December 2019

A choreographer works to bring dance to the disabled

The 20 or so guests had a range of intellectual disabilities, including diagnoses such as traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder and down syndrome, many of which inhibit movement. And they were there to dance.

1A • 29th May 2020

Series: Blocked From The Ballot

During the 2020 election cycle, breathless coverage of polls and primaries will help select the next president of the United States. But there are a significant number of people living in the U.S. who are legally prohibited from casting a ballot. Sometimes, it’s because of where they live. Other times, it’s because they’ve been convicted of a felony. And even in other cases, they’re too young.

WAMU • 26th March 2019

D.C. Region's Girls Show Up Big For New Era Of Scouting

Meet Troop 876. They’re girls, and they’re scouts. But they’re not girl scouts. Instead, they’re one of the first all-girl troops to join the program formerly known as Boy Scouts, now called Scouts BSA. And after more than a century, girls are now allowed in.

Washington City Paper • 2nd April 2018

On Life Support, The Funk Parade Makes a Last-Ditch Effort To Keep Going

Years ago, Justin Rood, the co-founder of one of D.C.’s most cherished nascent street celebrations, the Funk Parade, had a prophetic dream. “There was this rumble in the distance, and coming east down U Street there was a parade, and at the front the Grand Marshal was George Clinton and behind him was the Howard University Marching Band, and there were all these dancers,” Rood says. “As it came through the neighborhood, people came out of their houses to see what was going on, and they all join