Donovan X. Ramsey is a multimedia journalist who writes about all things social, political, cultural, financial and whimsical. His work has been featured in outlets including Ebony, JET, Diverse, MONEY, theGrio.com and Black Enterprise, among others. The Columbus, Ohio native earned his M.S. in magazine journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and B.A. in psychology from Morehouse College. He currently resides in New York City.
Report and write daily blog posts on issues within personal finance for the website of journalist Farnoosh Torabi. Conduct research and interviews for weekly Yahoo! Finance column. Transcribe semiweekly video content, edit and convert into print content for the web. Daily management of Torabi’s social media properties.
Conduct extensive research for “She’s Every Woman,” an upcoming history of black women in Pop music, by journalist and author Danyel Smith for It Books/Harper Collins. Secure interviews with nearly 100 sources for inclusion in the book. Manage correspondence for Smith. Identify relevant reference materials for book. Research popular music charts from 1960 to 2013.
Freelance writer, editor and photographer working across print and digital formats. Working in areas of politics, education, business, culture and the arts for outlets including: Ebony.com, JET magazine, Black Enterprise magazine, Diverse: Issue in Higher Education, NBC's theGrio.com, Money magazine, CNN/Money and the personal site of journalist Farnoosh Torabi.
Contracted editorial assistant at Time Inc.'s MONEY magazine. Wrote, fact-checked and researched articles on consumer-driven topics within personal finance. Assisted the managing editor.
Reported and wrote original content, daily, for the web in areas of politics, entertainment, business and culture for NBC's theGrio.com. I optimized content with SEO and multimedia elements, aggregated, on average, five news stories per day for the site.
Copyedited and fact-checked monthly features on significant issues within the journalism industry.
Analyzed statistical data • Conducted research and interviews for lab initiatives and case studies. Assisted lead researcher in conducting research, editing and writing for publication in scholarly journals.
Lisa Borders - 2009 candidate for mayor of Atlanta.
As the Marketing & Press Coordinator for the Borders for Atlanta Communications Team, my chief responsibility was to coordinate print advertising, press, and literature for the campaign.
My duties included:
Message/brand crafting
Graphic design
Writing
Copy editing
Research
While as a student, at Morehouse College, I have had the privilege of contributing to The Maroon Tiger, Morehouse’s weekly newspaper founded in 1925. Joining the ranks of others like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I began with the Tiger in 2006 as a Contributing Writer. I later moved from that position to that of Staff Cartoonist, finally in 2008 being selected to serve as Managing Editor.
•Managed content and over 30 staff members for bi-weekly newspaper
•Expanded newspaper into news organization including website and video programming
•Generated advertising revenue amassing over $50,000
• Served in support capacity for seven attorneys
• Copy edited major correspondences
• researched active cases in the areas of worker’s compensation, governmental affairs, and appellate groups
Hall Booth Smith & Slover, named one of the Best Places to Work in Atlanta by Atlanta magazine
With all the references to my alma mater aside, the speech felt personal. Perhaps it was the thunder and rain, punctuating the moment. Maybe the ministerial tone was finally getting to me, but I believed him. For a little over 30 minutes, Obama spoke on something meaningful and worth that special commencement moment - the weight of being a black man in America. He encouraged the new graduates to “stay hungry" and “keep hustling” with the sincerity of someone that we know has had to do both.
But again, what gave Obama’s address to the 2013 graduating class of Morehouse College special resonance was its earnest encouragement. There were moments of connection that I don’t remember being present in his previous speeches to black audiences. For once, his testimony made his message tangible.
| "SpelHouse" buttons by clothier Kreemo. |
| Django (Jamie Foxx) and Broomhilda (Keri Washington) in Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained.' |
| Samuel L. Jackson as "Stephen," the head house slave at the Candie Land Plantation. |
| Hinds, circa 1952. |
Rev. Jamal Bryant, center, with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson at a March rally for Trayvon Martin, calling for the arrest of George ZImmerman. (Twitter) |
| Emmett Till (left) and Trayvon Martin (right) |
| (Photo by Yonhap News via Getty Images) |
Kenneth Herrera, a 17-year-old student at the Bronx Academy of Letters in New York, in the library. Thursday, March 22, 2012. (theGrio/Donovan X. Ramsey) |