The 19th is excited to welcome its third cohort in the Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Fellowship, which seeks to create a meaningful pipeline for those historically excluded from U.S. newsrooms. 

Chanel Cain, a Howard University graduate, has been selected as audience engagement fellow. Amethyst Holmes, also a graduate of Howard, will join the product and technology team as a fellow. Alexis Wray, a North Carolina A&T State University graduate; Eden Turner, a Savannah State University graduate; and Howard alum Sabreen Dawud will serve as reporting fellows. The new fellows start at The 19th in early October.

“With the launch of our third cohort, we continue to build a vital pathway for talented journalists into U.S. newsrooms,” said Kari Cobham, The 19th’s director of fellowships, who is an alum of Bethune-Cookman University. “It’s an even more crucial commitment this election year to foster a more inclusive, representative media landscape that better serves all of us.” 

The fellowship, named for the “mother of African-American journalism,” provides recent graduates and mid-career HBCU alumni with a yearlong salaried fellowship in reporting, audience engagement, and product and technology. The program includes full benefits, from health insurance and paid time off to a 401(K) plan. 

The program will feature on-the-job training, mentorship and growth opportunities, as well as assistance navigating job placement after the fellowship.

The fellowship is funded with a $3.8 million gift from Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden. Learn more about the fellowship.

Audience Fellow

Chanel Cain is The 19th’s audience engagement fellow. Hailing from Seattle, Chanel pursued her love of journalism at Howard University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in media, journalism and film communications with a minor in playwriting.

At Howard, she served as co-editor for the Howard University News Service. She covered culture, politics and events for the Hilltop, Truth Be Told News and the Seattle Medium, her hometown’s historic Black newspaper.

Chanel was previously global content and programming coordinator for the Black-owned streaming service kweliTV. In this role, she curated films across the African diaspora, coordinated promotions for content releases, managed social media and wrote for the platform’s blog.

Beyond journalism, Chanel has a deep love for theater and creative writing. Her short play “Between Floors” was chosen to be produced by student theater organization, The Howard Players, for their annual 8×10 Play Festival. She was also a Barbara Walton Playwrights’ Arena Fellow at Arena Stage. 

Chanel believes everyone has a story to be told and feels honored to continue the work of uplifting silenced voices.  

Reporting Fellows

Alexis Wray is a reporting fellow at The 19th. A movement journalist who focuses on HBCUs and Blackness, Alexis earned her bachelor’s in journalism and mass communications from North Carolina A&T State University and a Master of Science in communication and journalism innovation from Syracuse University. 

Before The 19th, Alexis wrote about everything from student loan debt to social movements in Appalachia for Scalawag Magazine, The Appalachian Voice, The Atlanta Voice and Reckon News.

Alexis is also the co-founder of MarketBoxx, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting economically disadvantaged college students who experience food insecurity by packing and providing food resources in one box. 

Alexis is from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina where she currently resides and plans to continue uplifting narratives to create change and foster societal advancement.

Eden Turner is a reporting fellow for The 19th. Prior to The 19th, she was the education and politics reporter for the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, where she covered a range of topics, from transgender healthcare to playground accessibility. 

Eden was also a reporting intern at Savannah Morning News and a digital producer intern at Atlanta News First. As editor-in-chief of Tiger’s Roar, Savannah State’s student newspaper, Eden rebuilt the news team during the COVID-19 pandemic and increased student awareness of on-campus issues.

In February 2023, Eden joined other HBCU student journalists at the White House to interview Vice President Kamala Harris and Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta and senior adviser for public engagement.

Eden recently graduated from Savannah State University with a bachelor’s in journalism and mass communications and a minor in English. Eden is passionate about covering important issues and how they impact the underserved by emphasizing powerful storytelling. 

Sabreen Dawud is a reporting fellow at The 19th. She is a writer and journalist with a background covering social issues, education and the arts, and a recent graduate of Howard University.

Sabreen was previously a freelance writer for AFRO-American Newspapers where she covered social and cultural topics that amplified underrepresented voices and shed light on critical issues affecting Black communities.

She also served as editor-in-chief of Six Eleven Magazine where she oversaw content and editorial standards, wrote musician and fashion profiles, and guided a team of writers at the Black-owned arts magazine. 

At Howard, Sabreen was an editor for Cover 2 Cover Magazine and played a crucial role in shaping the magazine’s editorial direction to ensure it was engaging, relevant and diverse. She was also a staff writer for The Hilltop newspaper where she covered community-focused stories.

Sabreen holds a Bachelor of Arts in media, journalism and film communications with a minor in English. 

Product and technology fellow

Amethyst Holmes is The 19th’s product fellow. Before joining The 19th, she was a freelance journalist and worked in various communications and marketing roles for close to a decade. Most recently, she was head of content strategy for global sports nonprofit, Athletes in Action, where she helped execute a full site redesign and coordinated social strategy for the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Weekend, March Madness and the Olympic Games. 

Amethyst started her career as a general assignment reporter for AL.com/The Huntsville Times. She received her Master of Divinity from Howard University and holds a bachelor’s from the University of Alabama. Her work has been featured by Christianity Today, Interfaith America Magazine, Religion News Service and credited by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Amethyst has worked with faith communities organizing around environmental justice and LGBTQ+ inclusion, and served as a board member and mentorship coordinator for MASTHEAD, an alumni organization that supports student journalists of color at the University of Alabama. 

Please join us in welcoming Chanel, Alexis, Eden, Sabreen and Amethyst to The 19th!