All in Reporting

Her Name Was Shirley [Esquire]

reniqua allen
Reporting

If you have watched any television or films about Black life recently, you have almost certainly come across a striking photograph of a six year old standing alongside her aunt in Alabama under a Colored Entrance sign. The photo, part of a series that ran in Life magazine in 1956, has been used to exemplify an America that once was—but the story of its subject and the dreams she once had is long overdue.

The American Dream already eluded millennials of color. Then came coronavirus. [The Washington Post]

The American Dream already eluded millennials of color. Then came coronavirus. [The Washington Post]

reniqua allen
Commentary, Reporting

I also worry for the well-being of my millennial peers: We pursued higher education as its costs ballooned, and entered the workforce just when the recession hit. What used to be called a “career” has become a string of gigs. When our parents were our age, they owned over 20 percent of the nation’s wealth; today, we have just 3 percent. Now, just as many are starting families, the coronavirus threatens an economic downturn on a scale that this country hasn’t seen since the Great Depression.

But I’m especially worried about a particular slice of my generational cohort: young people of color, who are far more vulnerable than their white peers to crises like the coronavirus.

Is Money Affecting Your Social Status? [Teen Vogue]

Is Money Affecting Your Social Status? [Teen Vogue]

reniqua allen
Reporting

At a time when the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that more than 9 percent of Americans are unemployed, class divisions are widening, creating tough social situations for many teens. Though it's not commonly talked about, how much cash your parents have can often have a huge effect on your allowance, popularity, and, more importantly, who your BFFs are.