The Maynard 200 fellows reconvened virtually for their second week of intensive training, panel discussions, workshops, and mentorship. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 fellows have been unable to gather in-person. To help foster connections in the virtual program, fellows were invited to submit video clips shot from their individual locations and share their thoughts on the Maynard 200 program.
One of the Maynard Institute’s core programs, the Maynard 200 Fellowship provides advanced training to mid-career journalists of color to prime them as candidates for higher leadership roles. The program is designed with three tracks: Storytelling, Media Entrepreneurship, and Executive Leadership. During the week of trainings, daily plenary sessions kicked off with a watch party of these brief compilation videos for all fellows, faculty, and mentors to enjoy together.
Maynard 200 Storytellers
Each track is led by accomplished experts, and this year we are lucky to have award-winning investigative reporter and author Aaron Glantz for the storytelling track. Fellows in this track include: Marina Affo, Stephanie Casanova, Angela Chen, Eleanore Catolico, Rommel Conclara, Ruslan Gurzhiy, Estephany Haro Thalia Juarez Sarah Mizes-Tan Herb Pinder Cortlynn Stark Jasmine Vaughn-Hall, Mark Walker, Dalia Hatuqa, and Sameea Kamal.
Fellow Stephanie Casanova, who recently joined The Chicago Tribune as Breaking News and Criminal Justice Reporter, said, “Maynard 200 has helped me be more confident and push aside the imposter syndrome that would have prevented me from applying to this job in the first place.”
Maynard 200 Executive Leaders
Led by former newsroom C-suite executive Virgil Smith, fellows in the executive leadership track include Stephen Angeles, Charmayne Brown , Anica Butler, Tripp J. Crouse, Gary Estwick, Samantha Guzman, Lottie Joiner, Ashton R. Lattimore, Khalilah E. Liptrot, Marian Liu, Michelle Faust Raghavan, Rajeswari Ramanathan, Ross Terrell, Benet J. Wilson, and Tasha Stewart.
“This Maynard experience has really underscored all the ways that journalists of color are too often undervalued in dominant newsrooms. It’s just been incredible to be in a room of people, virtual though it may be, where you really feel like you are seen and you are heard and your contributions are deeply appreciated,” said fellow Khalilah L. Liptrot, Senior Producer of the Black News Channel’s AMplified with Aisha Mills in New York.
Maynard 200 Media Entrepreneurs
Media strategist Dickson Louie leads the media entrepreneurship track for fellows Annie Guo VanDan, Pete Camarillo, Clarisa Strohmeyer, , Jenee Darden, Felicia Purcell, Delonte Harrod, Kevon Paynter, Hannah Kim, Anuz Thapa, Meena Thiruvengadam, Marvin Ramirez, datejie cheko green, Travers Johnson, and Michelle Garcia.
“I’m so thankful for the Maynard 200 because I’m in a space of people who are also innovating in journalism but we’re not doing this alone, we’re doing this together,” said fellow Kevon Paynter, Founder and CEO of Bloc by Block News.
About the Maynard 200 Program
The Maynard Institute has trained two outstanding cohorts so far since 2018, who are now being promoted in both mainstream and ethnic media newsrooms such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, theGrio, the Associated Press, the Washington Informer, Mundo Hispanico, Nieman Journalism Lab, among many others, or earning grants for entrepreneurial media ventures. The continuation of this cornerstone program will be critical to advancing the Maynard Institute’s efforts to expand the diversity pipeline in American media and dismantle structural racism in its newsrooms. These leaders will have the opportunity to change the management culture including hiring practices in institutional and entrepreneurial news organizations.
The program is tuition-free thanks to funding by Google News Initiative, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, The Hearthland Foundation and the McClatchy Foundation.
Learn more about the 2021 Fellows.