Project Tell Me’s Lift Every Voice is a new initiative that showcases conversations between young Black journalists and the oldest generation of Black Americans. Conceived by Hearst Magazines, the significance of the subject matter and the abundance of inspiring stories brought Hearst Television and Hearst Newspapers to the project as well, and the result is a rich collection of inspiring stories from more than 50 Black American elders, including civil rights activists, hometown heroes and celebrities. The project’s complete content package debuted on Oprah Daily.

Lift Every Voice is named after the James Weldon Johnson poem and hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is often referred to as the "Black national anthem." 

In a video introduction announcing the publication of Lift Every Voice, Oprah Winfrey detailed the significance of the narratives this series captures. “… they tell the stories of our oldest generation of Black Americans so that we may document, learn from and celebrate our elders’ life experiences,” said Winfrey.

“Our mission is two-fold,” said Alison Overholt, general manager of Oprah Daily. “First, to share inspiring — and often untold — Black stories from the generation that has seen and experienced the most. And second, to open the door to a new generation of Black professionals — journalists, both reporters and photographers — who connect with and tell the stories of these elders of American society.”

For its interviews, Hearst Magazines primarily hired student writers and recent graduates of historically Black colleges and universities. Photo portraits of interviewees were taken by a new generation of Black photographers — and most were local talent from the subjects’ own communities.

“As a woman of color, and given our history in media, uplifting and empowering images of generations before us is vital in telling an accurate American story … The images are essential because they connect a face to the words on the page — they make it easier to relate,” said Roni Martin, visual director, Hearst Magazines. 

“Understanding other peoples’ stories can make the world better, and too often the stories of Black Americans have been marginalized or, worse, ignored. The interviews in this collection are astonishing and uplifting, in part because they were conducted by brilliant young writers who brought their own life experiences,” said Ryan D’Agostino, editorial director, special projects, Hearst Magazines.

Rachel Williams, a recent graduate of Alabama State University, contributed multiple pieces to the feature, including interviews with Claudette Colvin, a pioneer of the civil rights movement; Faye Wattleton, the first African American president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America; and Anna Bailey, the first Black Vegas showgirl. “Hearing these amazing stories from Black women has had such a big impact on my life,” said Williams. “I wasn’t prepared for what the experience actually ended up being for me. It was beyond words.” 

“We can’t move forward and get to a better place until we actually know each other and know the reality of what’s happening — what has happened. Then we can talk about that and figure out how to progress together,” added Tiffany Blackstone, executive director, editorial business development for Good Housekeeping and one of the editorial leads on Lift Every Voice.

For Newspapers, showcasing local figures and working with students and recent graduate journalists familiar with the communities they serve was paramount. 

“For the San Francisco Chronicle, what binds the journalists together is that they know the Bay Area well. This allows them to better tell the stories of the elders and gives us the local lens needed to tell these stories in the right way,” said Tim O’Rourke, director of product and strategy for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jamiah Bennett, a 2020 graduate of the University of Connecticut, worked on the series for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. For her, this was an opportunity to bring important conversations about race to the forefront. “If we don’t have those conversations,” she said, “we are just being complicit. We are ignoring the history that we’re all a part of ... I think journalists have the role of choosing to hear, share and amplify the voices of people of color. They’ve had a voice and been using it for years, but unfortunately, they are often silenced. Journalists can help.” 

In addition to the San Francisco Chronicle and Hearst Connecticut Media Group newsrooms, Lift Every Voice stories will run in the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Times Union in Albany, New York.

Project CommUNITY has been a key initiative for Hearst Television since January 2019. It started as a content initiative to explore divides in our communities, facilitate critical and often difficult conversations and celebrate champions who are helping to build bridges. Race and diversity have always been a piece of the effort; the initiative has been solely focused on race and social justice issues since the summer of 2020. The initiative includes regular news coverage, special programming, town hall discussions, on-air editorials and marketing campaigns.

The series expanded for Black History Month this year and became Project CommUNITY: History & Hope. Hearst Television featured interviews with Black elders in their local markets, with stories produced by Black journalists from the stations. Interviews aired each day in February 2021 and are part of the Oprah Daily feature.

Marvis Herring, an anchor and reporter for WLKY-TV in Louisville, Kentucky, knew from the start who he wanted to interview. While working on a different piece, he’d met Mattie Jones, an award-winning civil rights leader in Louisville. The interview, which took place in the city where Breonna Taylor was killed, was marked by both memories of injustice and feelings of great hope. 

“One of the biggest things that stood out for me was how much in detail Mattie Jones remembered her first real racist encounter, and how her body language changed while speaking about it. She closed off. She fidgeted more. It was clearly still a life-changing moment for her,” said Herring. “By having open conversations like this, I think it really just opens the door for empathy and compassion. By giving people a voice, we have a chance to promote community, to promote likeness, and show that we are all not so different.”

Maria Reeve, managing editor of the Houston Chronicle, hopes the series spurs on a greater appreciation for Black history. 

“It would be great for people to take away from this series that Black history is America’s history. I hope people see the resilience that many of these elders had to show in order to contribute what they did to their communities. I hope people don’t see Black history as someone else’s story. It belongs to all of us. And it is so important that these stories do not get lost.”

Lift Every Voice on Oprah Daily is sponsored by Lexus.

Turn inspiration to action. Consider donating to the National Association of Black Journalists. You can direct your dollars to scholarships and fellowships that support the educational and professional development of aspiring young journalists.

Also, support the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging. Dedicated to improving the quality of life of older African Americans, NCCBA's educational programs arm them with the tools they need to advocate for themselves.

All regular full-time and part-time employees of Hearst based in the U.S. and within the HCM Oracle system can visit Hearst Gives Back to donate to these organizations now.

Learn more about the series here. 

Many Hearst colleagues and student/recent graduate journalists were a part of bringing this series to life. A special thank you to those who contributed to this Hearstlink feature; Jamiah Bennett, Tiffany Blackstone, Alix Campbell, Carrie Carlson, Ryan D’Agostino, Adam Glassman, Marvis Herring, Roni Martin, Barbara Maushard, Tim O’Rourke, Alison Overholt, Maria Reeve, Christina Weber and Rachel Williams.