Last Updated on April 14, 2022 by BVN
Amber Bolden | Contributor
Black Voice News Reporter Breanna Reeves was selected to be a part of USC’s 2022 Center for Health Journalism California Fellowship for a reporting project on Black Maternal Wellness.
Reeves began her work with Black Voice News through the Report for America national service program that connects emerging journalists with opportunities to join local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.
Reeves started her career covering social activism demonstrations during her time as an undergrad at San Francisco State University. After earning her master’s in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics, she continued covering the world’s most impactful social movements and occurrences including COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests, among others. Her interest in exploring social discourse and community protest has been a motivating theme in her career.
“We always say ‘a seat at the table,’ and I always think a ‘voice in the conversation,’ is something to also consider,” she shared. Highlighting the rise of cultural media and the emphasis on community coverage, Reeves celebrates this evolving landscape as a catalyst in her professional development and her decision to pursue journalism as a career.
Although originally from Los Angeles, Reeves shared that she found a sense of home in the BVN IE-based newsroom. “I was really attracted to the [BVN] newsroom from the start. During my interview, I spoke with more Black female journalists than I had seen during my entire career,” she said.
Reeves focuses on health disparities reporting, covering COVID-19 and its impact on the Black and Brown community in the Inland Empire. Expanding on this work, Reeves explained she will be researching Black Maternal Health in the Inland Empire as her area of study during her Fellowship. She identifies Black Maternal Wellness as an area that impacts a wide range of California’s population. She categorizes it as an urgent issue deserving of a well-reasoned, data-based solution.
The Fellowship is designed to help journalists improve their skills in “impact reporting,” by combining powerful narratives with strong data and engagement. Journalists are encouraged to use solution-centered approaches to address health inequities and investigate how systematic challenges impact the quality of life for communities.
Reeves enthusiastically accepted the offer to join the 2022 California Fellowship cohort. She is dedicated to exploring the data and narratives that have shaped Black Maternal Health in the Inland Empire. The BVN team is excited to support her work and her continued contributions to engage communities through strong narratives and data-based journalism.