Our Staff

LIZ COURQUET-LESAULNIER
Managing Director

Los Angeles-based journalist Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier is the managing director of Word In Black. She has written about racial justice, gender equality, education, health, and culture for several national websites and print publications, including Ebony, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, and Good Housekeeping.

Previously, she held the position of communications director at 826 National. She also served as the founding managing editor of Shondaland.com, a platform dedicated to women’s empowerment and lifestyle, spearheaded by television icon Shonda Rhimes. Prior to that, Courquet-Lesaulnier took on the role of education and culture editor at TakePart, the digital news arm of Participant Media, where she specialized in coverage of equity in public schools, access to and preparation for college, and the intersection of public health and systemic racism. Before that, she worked as the education editor at GOOD magazine.

Prior to journalism, Courquet-Lesaulnier taught in classrooms in Guangzhou, China, and Compton, California. She also worked on the staff of Teach For America’s Los Angeles office, providing professional development and support to first and second-year K-12 teachers in the Compton, Lynwood, and Los Angeles Unified school districts.

• Twitter

JOSEPH WILLIAMS
Deputy Managing Director

A veteran journalist, political analyst, and essayist, Joseph Williams has been published in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, and US News & World Report. A California native, Williams is a graduate of the University Of Richmond and a former Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. He lives and works in metro Washington, D.C.

• LinkedIn

NADIRA JAMERSON
Digital Editor

Writer and content creator Nadira Jamerson is the Digital Editor for Word In Black. Nadira graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in English. She has worked as a journalist for various print and digital publications for the past five years, and as a creative director with SiKK Magazine and Converse. Her focus is to create space for Black individuals to express the complexities of their communities and identities through an honest and inspiring lens. 

• LinkedIn

ANISSA DURHAM
Health Data Reporter

Anissa Durham is the health data reporter for Word in Black. She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from National University. As a former general assignment reporter for inewsource, Anissa reported on historically neglected communities and systemic racism. Her work has also appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Voice of San Diego, and more.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

DOROTHY BOULWARE
Religion & Social Justice Reporter

Rev. Dorothy Boulware is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience with the Black press, specifically with the AFRO American News. She is the Religion and Social Justice reporter for Word In Black and is happy to highlight how religious communities create and drive social justice movements.

ALVIN BUYINZA
Education Reporter

Alvin Buyinza is an award-winning journalist based in Greater Boston who covers K-12 education for Word In Black. Before coming to this role, he wrote for a variety of news publications, including MassLive, Politico, The Washington Post, and The Conversation U.S. His work has also been featured on Boston NPR. He holds a master’s degree in communications from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

WILLY BLACKMORE
Climate Justice Correspondent

Willy Blackmore is a freelance writer and editor covering food, culture, and the environment. He lives in Brooklyn.

KEITH BOYKIN
Black Vote, Black Power Correspondent

Keith Boykin is a New York Times–bestselling author, TV and film producer, and former CNN political commentator. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition, cohosted the BET talk show “My Two Cents,” and taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. He’s a Lambda Literary Award-winning author and editor of seven books. He lives in Los Angeles.

JENNIFER PORTER GORE
Health Reporter

Jennifer Porter Gore’s writing has been published in The Washington Post, The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. She is a Connecticut native who lives and works in the Washington, D.C., area.

SHERNAY WILLIAMS
Multimedia Journalist

Shernay Williams is an award-winning reporter and video producer with 15 years of experience in cross-platform journalism and content strategy. The Baltimore native is proud to have launched her journalism career at The AFRO Newspaper before transitioning to local TV news, where she covered a wide range of topics, including mayoral races, education, and the heroin epidemic. During a break from journalism, she ran a content strategy firm, served as an entrepreneurship coach, and launched a national directory and resources platform for Black mompreneurs.

Her mix of video and written work has also appeared in TheGrio, MarketWatch, Barron’s, Fast Company, Kiplinger, Inc., Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Comcast Newsmakers National Edition, and various local news outlets. Shernay serves on the leadership team of The Institute for Independent Journalists and chairs the National Association of Black Journalists’ Entrepreneurship Task Force.

• LinkedIn

CHRISTA MAHLOBO
Insights and Research Director

Dr. Christa Mahlobo is a research scientist, consultant, and lecturer with more than eight years of experience exploring the psychological needs and behaviors of Black Americans through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Her expertise lies in the end-to-end execution of large scale, national research projects spanning multiple fields — including travel and tourism, arts and culture, and wellness in Black communities. Dr. Mahlobo earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, where her research focused on adolescent development and flourishing in Black Americans. She recently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and is a lecturer at Penn, teaching a course on flourishing in diverse communities.

KYLE RICKHOFF
Data Analyst

Kyle Rickhoff has more than 20 years of experience in local news, audience analytics, and digital transformation. He previously led audience analytics at Lee Enterprises and founded AlignSimple, a strategy firm for newsrooms and broadcasters. Rickhoff specializes in helping media organizations translate data into measurable editorial and business outcomes. He holds an MBA from the University of Montana and is committed to strengthening journalism that serves local communities.

AARON FOLEY
Racial Healing Fellow

Aaron Foley is a journalist and author of fiction and nonfiction. Previously, Aaron was news editor of the New York Amsterdam News, the oldest Black newspaper in New York. He was a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University and a Maynard Institute for Journalism Education 200 fellow.

DENIM FISHER
Racial Healing Fellow

Denim Fisher is a first-year student at Spelman College studying sociology and creative writing on the pre-law track. Developed from a childhood where her mother encouraged her to learn about Black history, Fisher has a fervor for activism and storytelling that captures the depth of the human experience. She is an awardee of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and the 2024 recipient of the NAACP ACT-SO gold medal for poetry.

MEKHI ABBOTT
Racial Healing Fellow

Mekhi Abbott is a graduate student at the University of Maryland in pursuit of his Master’s of Journalism. Mekhi is currently a freelancer for the Afro-American Newspaper where he primarily writes about HBCU sports, but has reported on many other topics ranging from politics to music. Mekhi graduated from Howard University and was formerly a student-athlete. He holds the school record in javelin at the University of Maryland.