Chelsea Johnson
Senior Associate, Media Strategy
My career began at the illustrious Morgan State University. Attending a historically black college was a no-brainer for me as both my sister and mom attended HBCUs. My experiences at Morgan State University were unlike any other, from joining Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, to being crowned Miss Morgan State University. I took representation seriously and it was my duty bestowed upon me by my ancestors to drive the revolution of change at Morgan State University while encouraging my peers to dig deep and truly find their purpose.
While at Morgan State, my journalism career truly kicked off when I interned for ESPN. During my time there, I had the pleasure of meeting my favorite sports broadcaster Jemele Hill, who was the host of “His & Hers” at the time. Jemele was always vocal when it came to speaking out against the racism and inequalities we face in the black community and used her platform to promote progress without fear of backlash.
From there my career led me to a few sports reporting gigs before landing my first TV job in local news. As a black woman who was formerly in the TV industry, it was a priority for me to spotlight the stories of black businesses and non-profit organizations who were paving the way for us into our daily news cycle. It was empowering for me as a black journalist to highlight these positive stories especially during a time where some media outlets only seemed to spotlight the negative stories happening in the black community, such as ongoing gun violence in our cities.
As we sit here on another Black History Month, I’m reminded that 28 days is not enough time to highlight the black excellence happening across the world. However, during these 28 days we’re forced to take a deeper look at how far we’ve come. Despite the ongoing challenges we face along the way, we’re reminded of the great opportunity we have daily to make our ancestors proud.
So, what does Black History Month mean to me? It’s a trip down memory lane of my success as a black woman. It’s not about bragging or having a one -up on the next person, it’s a humble reality check that I am so blessed to be a black woman in America.