Christopher A. Daniel receives CNP journalism honor

At 9 years previous, Christopher A. Daniel knew precisely what he wished to do along with his life. Watching Ed Bradley interview celebrities on 60 Minutes, seeing “this brother with salt and pepper hair, and a go well with, and an earring,” Daniel determined he would turn into a cultural journalist. Now, many years later, the award-winning author is receiving the CNP Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Counter Narrative Venture, proving that childhood goals can turn into highly effective actuality.

From his upstate South Carolina roots to bylines in The Washington Publish, Vogue and NPR Music, Daniel has constructed a profession round genuine Black storytelling. Because the Black Tradition Reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Structure’s UATL model and former journalism professor at Morehouse Faculty, he’s turn into each chronicler and champion of Black tradition. His current recognition from the Counter Narrative Venture celebrates greater than wonderful reporting. It honors a life spent shifting narratives and amplifying the voices that matter most.

Inform us about your self and why you selected this path

I’m the youngest of two. I grew up in Upstate South Carolina to a single mother or father. My mom all the time used to have buddies over, they’d be ingesting and listening to music, and he or she labored in a magnificence salon as a beautician, so it was all the time Black ladies round, college lecturers and moms with a bunch of children. I actually received to see firsthand how Black ladies felt. I all the time received to see ladies who labored actually exhausting, and naturally, I received to see individuals simply get pleasure from who they had been, it doesn’t matter what was occurring round them.

I used to be all the time somebody who actually liked to learn and all the time hung out within the library. I used to be a giant artwork individual, so I all the time was in music class or visible artwork programs, and I did an improv group once I was in class. I all the time knew that it was one thing extra than simply athletics and sports activities for Black males.

It was after studying Hip Hop America by Nelson George, and I used to be identical to, you’ll be able to really do that? You’ll be able to write concerning the tradition, and you’ll have ardour for it. I used to be a giant fan of Soul Prepare, Donnie Simpson on Video Soul, Ed Gordon on BET Nightly Information, and my household liked watching Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes. After I noticed this brother with salt and pepper hair, and a go well with, and an earring interviewing all these wonderful individuals, it was identical to, that’s what I need to do proper there.

I used to be in all probability about 9 or 10 years previous once I actually got here to the belief that I wished to enter journalism, I wished to jot down about Black music, I wished to jot down about Black tradition, and I simply wished to inform our tales.

What’s the distinction between writing about Black tradition for mainstream publications versus Black-specific platforms

Once you’re writing for Black-specific platforms, there are particular nuances of the tradition you simply don’t have to elucidate to individuals. A variety of that stuff is extremely understood and it’s a whole lot of shared experiences, so that you come in additional so with simply the colour, greater than something.

However doing issues for HuffPost or doing sure issues for NPR Music, and even generally with AJC, you actually must reply sure questions in such a manner the place individuals don’t perceive or they’ve by no means been uncovered to it. Nevertheless it does provide the alternative to sort of be the cultural ambassador and to be the interpreter in these items. In each areas, it provides you the chance to essentially be keen about folks that appear to be you.

You helped launch the journalism diploma program at Morehouse Faculty in 2020. What was lacking in journalism schooling that you simply wished to handle

That they will do it. A variety of occasions while you’re coping with our younger individuals in schooling, it’s not like they lack the ability, it’s not like they lack the competency, it’s not like they lack the fervour. A variety of it’s simply confidence.

A variety of occasions, these younger individuals, they’ve by no means completed this earlier than or they’ve by no means had individuals of their household do that. I grew up in a spot the place lots of people had been college lecturers or they labored for factories or they labored for the publish workplace, so to say, I need to transfer and go cowl entertainers or cowl athletes in skilled sports activities, it’s like, actually?

A variety of it was simply instilling in these younger folks that they simply needed to dedicate themselves to the craft, they usually simply had to ensure they learn a whole lot of materials, and ensure they’re networking. We’ve got a number of college students that I taught over time that are actually protecting tradition for Folks journal, and a few of them are writing for Selection, and a few of them are literally protecting Clemson for the Greenville Information, and a few of them are in fellowship packages now for Netflix and Disney.

What would you inform younger journalists concerning the accountability that comes with protecting Black tradition

One, you need to love your self first. A variety of occasions, individuals have these concepts about Black individuals, these stereotypes, and actually these generalizations about us. A part of it’s simply loving you adequate to need to push again and produce counter-narratives on these issues.

The opposite a part of it’s, you need to be tremendous collaborative. Among the greatest tales that I’ve ever obtained wasn’t me going essentially by means of publicists or artist managers, it’s me simply understanding that somebody went to high school with somebody whose document is primary on the radio.

The identical reverence that you simply give celebrities is similar reverence it’s worthwhile to give your mixologist on the bar, the folks that’s placing the trash baggage out, the folks that’s choosing up all the rubbish after you eat your hors d’oeuvres. These individuals are working of us they usually’re individuals on the bottom. So once I write issues, I’m writing for these individuals. These are common, on a regular basis individuals who reside and breathe identical to you and me, however every little thing that just about occurs in our neighborhood impacts them first.

I enable individuals to see my character, too. After I’m not within the newsroom or I’m not out right here protecting stuff, I’m at events, too. I’m with my household having barbecues. I’ve a 4-year-old grandniece that comes over my home that jumps up and down on my abdomen. I like for individuals to see all elements of my character and my identification, as a result of I imagine generally as writers, when individuals learn your stuff, they need to know what your private values are.

What does it imply to you to have your work acknowledged by the Counter Narrative Venture

Anytime you’re acknowledged by organizations which are full and led by folks that appear to be you, I feel that’s higher than profitable a Nobel Prize or profitable a Pulitzer or a Grammy, as a result of the decision is coming from inside the home. So, you’re being seen by of us who know the worth of your phrases and your existence.

Considering again to these days once I was teased for going to my symphony orchestra courses, or teased for coming into poetry contests and profitable, or going to do native theater as an alternative of going to a soccer sport, it actually reveals me that every little thing I did wasn’t in useless, and that every little thing that I used to be presupposed to be doing I used to be presupposed to do it.

That is actually an award for everybody on the UATL crew that I work with each single day. It’s an award for the lecturers that I’ve had at Spartanburg Excessive College, and Johnson C. Smith College, and the College of Georgia, as a result of that is the child that they raised.

As a journalist protecting tradition, have you ever seen media illustration of Black queer communities evolve

It’s all the time good to see extra of these absent voices telling the tales, so shout out to all the Black LGBTQ+ media organizations on-line, podcasts, particularly for carrying that torch. Shout out to my crew at UATL for all the time listening to me once I say, these are the issues that’s taking place exterior, and right here’s what these sub-communities are doing inside Black tradition in Atlanta, so we should always inform a narrative about it.

I feel the evolution is what we’re doing proper now, sitting down, having a dialogue about what Counter Narrative is doing. The evolution is seeing organizations like Counter Narrative defending our individuals and doing every little thing they will to flip tales which are being advised. I feel the evolution actually is us being extra genuine with us, unapologetically being ourselves, to do every little thing we will to inform tales, create our capital in different environments the place we usually wouldn’t see it.

The longer term’s gonna be nice. It’s gonna get again to us doing extra long-form storytelling. We’re gonna get extra lovely writers out right here telling extra nuanced tales about us. We’re gonna see extra of most of these journalists getting awards like I’m receiving, and all I need to see is simply extra of us simply doing it and being fearless about it.

The Counter Narrative Venture’s eleventh anniversary celebration takes place Saturday, October 25, at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta. The occasion is free with RSVP on the Counter Narrative Venture web site. Christopher A. Daniel might be discovered on social media at @Journalistorian on Instagram and Twitter, and Christopher A. Daniel on LinkedIn and Fb.