NextGenRadio

Oklahoma

Centennial of the

1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

 

A collection of audio and digital stories highlighting the experiences of people in the 100-year aftermath of what is believed to be the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.

This project was produced in April 2021 in partnership with Oklahoma State University School of Media and Strategic Communications and KOSU. Our reporters are students in Oklahoma.

Our Reporters

Destinee Adams

Destinee Adams

Destinee Adams is an undergraduate student at Oklahoma State University studying Multimedia Journalism. She is a full-time student activist, who spends most of her day creating for the grassroots movement she founded named Ok State Stand United. Passionate and driven by storytelling, she hopes to engage in a career that combines her niche for photography and writing. The fastest way to Destinee’s heart is a frozen coffee and groovy playlist.

Taryn Johnson

Taryn Johnson

Taryn Johnson is a senior multimedia journalism major at Oklahoma State University. After working as a daily anchor for the Daily O’Colly, a student-run news broadcast, she transitioned to working as the content developer and social media manager.

Taryn was also a content development intern for the tech startup Quest Technical Services. She is from Denton, Texas, and she is planning on moving to Austin after graduating to pursue a career in media. Taryn recently discovered what the hype about video games is all about after she picked up a new hobby called Guitar Hero.

Crystal Patrick

Crystal Patrick

Crystal Patrick is a Tulsa native who attended Tulsa Public schools. After graduating from high school in 1997, she attended the University of Oklahoma, obtaining a B.A. in Multidisciplinary Studies, and a minor in African and African-American Studies. 

Crystal teaches through various programs offered by some of the largest foundations in Oklahoma. Her journey has led her to take the helm as Executive Director of the non-profit #racismstinks, a diverse coalition of people unified in the task of bringing racial equity and healing to their community. Crystal is also an artist; jewelry and creative writing are her primary art forms. She is the mother of two teenagers, who keep her life full.

A week of personal and professional development

In one week, I learned more about digital reporting and storytelling than a textbook could’ve taught me. Although this program was remote, it was valuable and informative because every part of this experience required hands-on participation. I learned, made mistakes,...

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks

I knew from the youthful round-cheeked photos of some of my fellow mentees that I was most likely drinking a Long Island Iced Tea next to the campus of the University of Oklahoma when most of them were conceived. However, I had zero time to be concerned about the...

Rodrigo Solis-Ruiz

Rodrigo Solis-Ruiz

Rodrigo Solis Ruiz is a junior at Oklahoma State University majoring in sports media. He grew up and was born in Puebla, Mexico. When he was three years old, Rodrigo and his family moved to Germany and lived there for two years. Rodrigo is currently a staff reporter in the OSU newspaper, the Daily O’Colly. He is extremely passionate about sports, where most of his stories come from. Once he graduates, Rodrigo would like to work as a sports commentator/announcer for a TV station. 

Beth Wallis

Beth Wallis

Beth Wallis is a fellow for News 21 and serves as the enterprise editor for the University of Oklahoma’s independent student newspaper, The OU Daily. She is a journalism senior and will graduate in December 2021. As a journalist, her writing and interests include local politics, education, labor issues and racial justice. She is a Bachelor of Music Education and has a master’s in Conducting Performance and Pedagogy from Oklahoma State University. Beth was a band director for five years, and though she’s a journalist now, she’ll be a band nerd for life.

Devin Williams

Devin Williams

Devin Williams is a reporter and segment producer for the radio news program Focus: Black Oklahoma. A Texas native, he moved to the Tulsa region in 2013. The community in Northeast Oklahoma welcomed him to become an active participant in its call for change. Devin has always had an interest in activism. He is passionate about creating positive spaces for civil discourse about society, politics and religion. Devin is also a huge nerd and avid consumer of anime.

Yes, I can

When I found out I got accepted into NPR’s Next Generation Radio, I felt like I had accomplished something. I heard about the program thanks to a good friend of mine Dr. Craig Freeman. Over the past year, he has been helping find opportunities for me to keep growing...

An opportunity I’ll never forget and a family I never knew I needed

When I applied for NPR’s Next Generation Radio, I thought it was a longshot. I’ve done some audio work before, but I’ve lived mostly in the print world. When I received my acceptance email, there was a wave of emotions: excitement, ambition and energy, certainly. But...

5 days of fury: My journey into journalism

Thinking about my time spent on this NPR’s Next Generation Radio, I have learned to reach out and depend on others. Normally, I adapt to different situations in my efforts to become a journalist. During this project I found myself not only uncomfortable and...

The Next Generation Radio Project is a week-long digital journalism training project designed to give competitively selected participants, who are interested in radio and journalism, the skills and opportunity to report and produce their own multimedia story. Those chosen for the project are paired with a professional journalist who serves as their mentor.

This edition of the #NPRNextGenRadio project was produced in collaboration with Oklahoma State University School of Media and Strategic Communications and NPR Station KOSU in April 2021.

Acknowledgments

Managing Editor – Traci Tong, Editor, Public Media Journalists Association
Digital Editors – Alexis Richardson, Digital Content Strategist & CINO at The Mom Edit, Philadelphia, and Stephanie Federico, Digital News Editor, KUT, Austin, Texas
Audio Tech – Selena Seay-Reynolds, Freelancer Audio Engineer, Princeton, New Jersey, and Scott Bell, KOSU, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Illustrators – Emily Whang, Los Angeles, Ard Su, Baltimore, Lauren Ibanez, Houston
Visuals - Erica Lee, Freelance Visual Journalist, Jersey City, New Jersey, and  Samantha Guzman, Executive Editor, PBS, Austin, Texas
Web Developer – Robert Boos of Metropolitan State in Minneapolis

Our journalist/mentors for this project were:
Erika Beras, Reporter, Marketplace, Pittsburgh
Seth Bodine, Agriculture and Rural Issues Reporter for KOSU
Graham Brewer, Associate Editor, High Country News, Norman, Oklahoma
Quinton Chandler, State Impact Reporter, Oklahoma City
Nina Earnest, Podcast Producer, KSL, Salt Lake City
Kateleigh Mills, Special Projects Reporter, KOSU, Oklahoma City

NPR’s Next Generation Radio program is directed by its founder, Doug Mitchell.

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