About Kenya @LiveFromKenya
Kenya Downs is the digital reporter and producer for PBS NewsHour’s Race Matters and education verticals, creating multimedia content for online and television centered on issues of race and social justice, including exploring the intersection of identity and culture with education reform and policy. Kenya also contributes content related to the Caribbean region for NewsHour's international coverage. She’s previously worked with National Public Radio, Al-Jazeera Media Network and CBS News. Kenya is a graduate of both Howard University and American University and is based in Washington, D.C.
Kenya’s Recent Stories
Nation Jan 16
Are hateful outbursts rising? Since the election, some are keeping trackThe Southern Poverty Law Center has recorded more than 1,000 incidents of hate-based intimidation following the 2016 presidential election. But most of these incidents aren't considered hate crimes.
Nation Jan 06
Why hate crimes are so difficult to convictProsecuting hate crimes is often a complicated and arduous process, and no national agency tracks conviction rate data for these crimes.
Politics Dec 16
Trump’s cabinet is mostly white and male. What will that mean for policy?President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet is almost entirely white and male. The lack of diversity could have an impact on policy making, according to advocates and experts who study diversity.
Nation Dec 15
Former Milwaukee officer charged in fatal shooting of black manThe Milwaukee Police Department had already fired the officer in October over separate allegations of misconduct.
Nation Dec 07
‘Dear Gwen’: Letters from female journalists of color she inspiredGwen Ifill was "a beacon for so many of us, women of color especially, who wanted so badly to see themselves reflected in the media." -- Tanzina Vega, National reporter for CNN.
Politics Nov 09
Highest glass ceiling remains, but these women lawmakers achieved historic firstsThese six women of color reached important milestones in American politics.
Politics Nov 08
Puerto Rican voter surge in Florida is no surpriseFlorida, a key battleground state for several of the last election cycles, has been known for its politically active Cuban-American population, but it's Puerto Rican voters who might be making an early impact.
Nation Nov 02
Assailants set fire to black Mississippi church, spray paint ‘Vote Trump’The attack on a black church is the latest in a long history of racially motivated voter intimidation tactics.
Nation Oct 21
FBI warned of white supremacists in law enforcement 10 years ago. Has anything changed?In 2006, the FBI warned that white supremacists infiltrating local and state law enforcement posed a threat to national security. Some are asking, what's been done to curb the trend in the decade since?…
Nation Sep 26
Twitter Chat: Coping with black trauma in the age of viral videos (Recap)If constant exposure to graphic viral videos can trigger PTSD-like trauma, how can people of color mentally cope?…
