After their children were killed, these D.C.-area mothers took their pain to the stage.
They had hoped if an audience could hear their stories, something in the community might change — no more mothers crying over their dying sons.
Personal News 🗞: I am now a staff writer
@washingtonpost
!
I’m immensely grateful and blessed to join
@postlocal
full-time with the incredible criminal justice team.
Please share story ideas/tips or say hi jasmine.hilton
@washpost
.com
It may be cold and rainy outside, but I’m still smiling!
I just graduated from THE Ohio State University!
B.A. in Journalism, Magna Cum Laude🎓
#OSUGrad
These pics are from my first story ever published. Two years later, I’m blessed to announce that I’ll be Managing Editor of
@TheLantern
for the 2020-21 school year! I can’t wait to get started in this new role and continue to tell your stories! 😁
Today is my first day at
@washingtonpost
! I am so grateful and can’t wait to get started on
@postlocal
!!, where I’ll be covering crime and courts. Send tips/say hi @ jasmine.hilton
@washpost
.com
When I was 4 years old, I would turn on the channel news every morning and dream of being a reporter. At 20, those dreams are turning into reality.
#newsintern
#washingtonDC
#naturalhaironair
My first freelance story for the Washington Post just went live and I’m feeling beyond grateful. Find me in the About US newsletter!
“Columbus statues are falling across the country. Will ‘Columbus,’ Ohio, fall, too?”
Personal News🗞...I am excited to be joining
@washingtonpost
this summer as a reporting intern on the National desk! 🎉
Feeling beyond blessed and incredibly grateful for this opportunity of a lifetime. See you soon, DC!
As my time comes to a close
@nbcwashington
, I'm feeling especially grateful for those who poured into my dream and gave me even greater heights to aspire to. This is only the beginning!😊
I’m incredibly honored to receive three scholarships from the School of Communications! the Black Advertising and Strategic Communication Award
@BASCA_OSU
the Brennan Award for Courageous Journalism, and I will be serving in the John R. Oller Lantern Editor Position
@TheLantern
On the front page of today’s
@washingtonpost
, a project I am so proud to be a part of.
Kahlia Anderson told me that she finished her orientation as an ICU nurse
@OSUWexMed
in January. Then, Covid-19 hit.
I am blessed and humbled to have been awarded First Place for Best College Feature Writing in Ohio by
@spj_tweets
!
Telling Stacey’s story meant so much to me. I’m incredibly grateful to her family and friends who shared it with me. Read her story here:
I’m incredibly grateful to be nominated for a NABJ Salute to Excellence award for my story about a group of D.C. area mothers who honored their sons — each killed by gunfire — through a stage play.
These mothers’ strength made this story possible. 🙏🏽
These are the stories that slip between the cracks.
Too often, students from underrepresented communities get left behind or shut out completely.
This is for them, in their own words.
Meet Ohio State’s first female police chief, Kimberly Spears-McNatt.
As a young black woman, seeing Chief Spears-McNatt sworn in was inspirational. I had such an honor speaking with and writing on her incredible triumph.
Spoke with poet
@dwaynebetts
about
@million_book
and his signature Freedom Library, now on display at the National Building Museum.
The libraries are meant to provide access to beauty, literature and develop community in prisons nationwide.
Today marks one year as a crime and courts reporter at The Post!
Still pinching myself that I get to cover the community I grew up in. Beyond grateful and blessed to be doing this work alongside an incredible team.
cc
@kemettler
,
@ELaserDavies
@phscoop
,
@mattzap
and
@ByLynhBui
I’m incredibly grateful my story, “Their sons’ lives ended in gunfire. In grief, they found a second act.”, was named a finalist for a Washington D.C. SPJ Dateline Award for excellence in local journalism!
I remember meeting Rep. John Lewis when I was 10 at Hartsfield–Jackson as he was getting off of his flight. I know he must’ve had somewhere important to be, and yet he took a moment to speak to me and my mom. His kindness knew no limits. Rest in peace to a hero.🙏🏽
Workers
@washingtonpost
have been in contract negotiations with our bosses for 18 months.
But the company is refusing to pay us what we’re worth or bargain in good faith.
So on Dec. 7, we’re walking off the job for 24 hours.
Feeling grateful to share stories from Columbus, OH for this meaningful
@washingtonpost
project on early voting lines across the country, led by the incredible
@mateagold
!
Ohio State students! If you’re interested in writing, videography, podcasts, graphic design or photography, come join our independent student newsroom—The Lantern.
Any questions on getting involved? I’m here as a resource! 😊
Looking for ways to get involved with an award-winning student newspaper? Visit us during the virtual involvement fair or email us at lantern
@osu
.edu.
The deaths of 6 construction workers in a crash Wednesday along a Maryland highway are spotlighting the dangers road crews face as highway projects increase.
Our story is
@washingtonpost
paywall free.
w/
@iduncan
,
@DanMorseWP
and
@teoarmus
If you or anyone you know will be affected by OSU’s requirement for students to move out of residence halls, please DM me or email hilton.93
@buckeyemail
.osu.edu!
#Coronavirus
update:
@OhioState
extends spring break 1 week, suspends face-to-face classes for the rest of spring semester & will start process for students to move out of residence halls. More info:
What happened to alumna Stacey Beth Colbert, 21 years ago?
As the Special Projects Editor
@TheLantern
, I’ve worked closely all semester to uncover the truth behind her tragic disappearance and murder.
Her killer is still out there.
“I believe that he was unarmed and I believe they shot and killed him. He’s a father. He’s a brother. He’s my son.”
The mother of Timothy Johnson, who was fatally shot by police outside of Tysons Corner last night, questions why. w/
@oliviardiaz
It still feels surreal to be a part of a team of some of the best reporters and editors from across the country covering history. I am so grateful to have contributed to
@washingtonpost
Election Day voting coverage!
Shawn O’Donnell was a “bright light who had so much more to give and so much more to live,” her mother Mary O’Donnell said.
She was fatally struck while biking to work yesterday morning in NW D.C.
Nina Larson, 24, loved to sing and was pursuing her dream of becoming a professional opera singer, her mother said. She was fatally struck while crossing the street in Adams Morgan Saturday.
Little does anyone know this trip came at a breaking point in my life.
Your friendship has been truly transformational, and it’s an honor to call you a sister.❤️
Last year, I met
@jas_hilton
on
@SPJohiostate
’s fall break trip. We both were from Maryland and had a class together, but it was here that we became pretty much inseparable.
Grateful to do life with you. ✨
New year, new goals! ✨ My first one was starting off 2020 with my own website.
#HappyNewYear
Click the link below and in my bio to explore my site and learn more about my work, experience and details about me! 👩🏽💻
Organizers and protesters have gathered outside all summer long to
#BoycottNellies
sports bar after a viral incident in June.
They created a “joy space” for the Black LGBTQ community, while spotlighting concerns in the D.C. bar community.
Vaccine sites are popping up in unusual places — a school bus, a theatre stage, Disneyland’s parking lot.
See how the nation is getting creative about where people receive their shots.
for
@POLITICOMag
“It’s like you’re proud to be a black man, but at the same time, you’re scared to be one too.”
My lastest with
@gardnerakayla
on the emotions being expressed by Ohio State’s black community, my community.
#GeorgeFloyd
This is beyond unacceptable and demands answers. Media ARE exempt from curfew. This should’ve never happened to our reporters.
@ColumbusPolice
@MayorGinther
In partnership with
@blackxboldmag
, we present The Black Voices project, highlighting the stories of student leaders, distinguished faculty and dedicated staff at Ohio State.
Thankful for all who shared their stories with us. Read them here:
“It’s really overwhelming trying to scramble to find a way to survive the next month.”
With university closures, many students are struggling and their livelihoods are at stake.
I’m out covering the second annual “Motorcade to Honor Black Fathers on Father’s Day” in D.C.
Community members driving cars decorated with balloons and banners celebrating Black fathers are heading out now.
“Who trusted me, the new nurse to take care of a covid-positive patient? How am I going to do this?”
Kahlia Anderson of
@OSUWexMed
shared her story with me as part of this moving project documenting seven ICU nurses’ experiences from the frontlines.
I wouldn’t be here without the grace of God and those who poured into me. I’m so thankful to my mentors, family and friends who have helped me grow in every way.
Editor’s note: This week, we joined other news outlets in capitalizing Black in reference to Black Americans. Today, the
@AP
adopted it as style. This is just one step in our effort to provide inclusive coverage on issues close to the Ohio State community.
NEW: The number of carjackings in the D.C. region surged during the pandemic, baffling authorities and rattling communities. Here’s where they’re happening.
Yes!😊 Feeling blessed to announce that I will be joining the amazing staff
@TheLantern
as the next Special Projects Reporter alongside my phenomenal teammate
@maevewalsh27
‼️Incredibly honored for this opportunity and can’t wait for what’s in store!
Super excited to announce that I will be the next Special Projects Reporter along with my amazing friend
@jas_hilton
👯♂️ for
@TheLantern
during the 2019-2020 school year! So excited for this opportunity and can’t wait for the year ahead!
The D.C.-area’s adult flag football community has provided a refuge for players for decades. A fatal shooting moments after a pickup game last month has left them stunned.
Heartbroken to see Ovetta go, one of the best journalists to ever grace The Post’s newsroom.
Her writing inspired me, but not more than her care, encouragement and warm spirit. She’s irreplaceable.
Some personal news: I’m leaving The Post at the end of the month. I decided to accept the buyout offer. The decision is bittersweet but I’m excited about what’s ahead. For now, it involves some serious me time.
I’m so excited to work closely with the fantastic
@kemettler
,
@phscoop
and the entire team, led by the best editors
@mariaglod
and
@ByLynhBui
, who encourage, shape and inspire me each day.
Green was Jayla’s favorite color, pink was NyJae’s and yellow was NaJhari’s.
At a vigil where family and community members mourned the girls’ lives, who all died in a house fire, the colors were everywhere.
For
@POLITICOMag
, I spoke with volunteers who have been on the ground for months working to help vaccinate underserved communities.
They spoke of facing a system lined with accessibility barriers and the communities who were left behind.
Be on alert, North Campus‼️
Ever deadbolt your door to prop it open, just to go down the hall?
Victims of the recent North Campus burglaries spoke out on their experiences, which may make you think twice.
This is so good!! Not only did he make due on his promise to pay off the students’ debt, but now he’s going the extra mile by covering the debt taken on by the parents. Remarkable!
#StratComm2321
The billionaire who pledged to wipe out the student-loan debt of the class of 2019 at Morehouse College will cover debt taken on by the students’ parents as well
A Maryland man is accused of raping, kidnapping and carjacking people he met on a dating app at gunpoint, leaving one victim in the trunk of a car overnight and stranding another — an amputee — in the cold after stealing his crutches, according to police.
On Jan. 20, photographer
@StephenVoss
started a three-month assignment: to capture the soul of Washington during Biden’s first 100 days, and show how it’s changing. Here's what he found 👇
For the eighth year, locals fete musical legend Chuck Brown
“It’s nothing but love when you come to Chuck Brown Park on Chuck Brown Day,” Wiley Brown, musician and son of Chuck Brown, said.
Peyton “PJ” Evans, an 8-year-old who loved football, had dreams of one day playing in the NFL.
After returning from a football scrimmage win, he was fatally struck by stray gunfire from outside of a family apartment.
w/
@ELaserDavies
and
@PerryStein
At the funeral for 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney, cries for remembrance of her life and an end to gun violence in the city rang out.
“it takes a village to raise a child. . . . Anytime we’re killing our babies in that village, our village is sick.”
“Her bicycle looked like someone took tin foil and just crumbled it,” her mother said. “That is in my mind now, forever wondering: Did my daughter know she was dying?”
“It doesn’t make a difference when you are a Black man. They will follow you wherever they want to follow you and shoot wherever you are, and then find a way to make it seem justified,” Kurt Looper, Columbus resident.
“Let your eyes scan over the whole image for like a minute. We’ll listen to music together while we’re looking.”
Great story by the incredible
@NicoleAsbury
!!
The incredible
@gardnerakayla
is coming to D.C.! She is not only an intrepid reporter and skilled storyteller but also an even greater, compassionate friend. I couldn’t be more proud of her.
I’m excited to share I’ll be joining the stellar
@business
White House team next month as a reporter.
Truly humbled and honored to be a part of this group. See you soon, Washington!
A 7-year-old girl, Karen Thomas, was identified by D.C. police as the child who died after a house fire Tues. Karen was a third-grader at Raymond Elementary.
Neighbors said they are coming together to offer support for her family, who survived the fire.
Nellie’s sports bar has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and to serve a seven-day liquor license suspension, after its hired security staff dragged a Black woman down the stairs from the rooftop bar in June.
A year ago today, I got a tip the women’s rowing coach was under investigation for mental health issues. He was soon fired.
For the first time, the women of the team are telling their stories. This documentary was not possible without them.
I first met Tiffani Evans when I had just started at The Post, covering the killing of her 8-year-old son, PJ.
Two years later, she’s joined by her longtime friend and five other mothers over the shared grief of losing a child to gun violence.
Federal pandemic unemployment benefits ended earlier this month, leaving many jobless people without enhanced payments for the first time in 18 months.
@ELaserDavies
and I spoke with residents who are now facing uncertainty while still looking for jobs.
Attention OSU students!!
What are some concerns you have about your safety on campus, or any fears about being on such a large campus?
Currently working on a potential news story and would love for some more feedback :)
DM me, if you’d like to share!