ESPN’s The Undefeated Names the Inaugural Class of Rhoden Fellows

ESPN DigitalThe Undefeated

ESPN’s The Undefeated Names the Inaugural Class of Rhoden Fellows

The Undefeated, ESPN’s multiplatform initiative for sports, race and culture, has announced the inaugural class of Rhoden Fellows, the sports journalism internship program focused on identifying and training aspiring African American journalists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The inaugural class has six journalists:

Rhoden Fellow School
Miniya Shabazz Grambling State University, Grambling, La.
Kyla Wright Hampton University, Hampton, Va.
Paul A. Holston Howard University, Washington, D.C.
C. Isaiah Smalls, II Morehouse College, Atlanta, Ga.
Simone Benson Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md.
Donovan Dooley North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, N.C.

With financial support from ESPN, the Rhoden Fellowship is a two-year program founded by former New York Times award-winning sports columnist William C. Rhoden, who joined ESPN’s The Undefeated as head of the fellowship program and as columnist and editor-at-large. The fellowship – established as part of The Undefeated’s mission to develop new voices and serve as an incubator for future multicultural journalists – is open to outstanding undergraduate students at HBCUs.

During the academic year, the fellows will report news stories from their respective universities and cover the varied facets of HBCU life, serving as on-campus correspondents for The Undefeated’s HBCU vertical. They will produce daily, weekly and monthly multimedia content, as well as serve as on-site beat writers covering sports teams – college or professional – in their respective markets. During the summer, students will work 40-hour weeks at ESPN for 10 weeks, gaining a first-hand education and experience in sports journalism.

Kevin Merida, senior vice president and editor-in-chief, The Undefeated:

“We are excited to welcome our first class of Rhoden Fellows. It is vital that we develop new voices for our profession, and to continue to diversify sports journalism. We know how much talent—sometimes overshadowed—resides on HBCU campuses. We are proud to get this program started.”

Bill Rhoden, head, Rhoden Fellows, columnist and editor-at-large, The Undefeated:

“I am elated to get the first class of Rhoden Fellows on board. This initiative has been something John Skipper and I have been working on for two years. The Fellows are blessed to have someone with Kevin Merida’s vision and experience guiding them. This fellowship is one of the highpoints of my career.”

The Undefeated is ESPN’s multiplatform content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture. The digital hub, TheUndefeated.com, which launched in May 2016, combines innovative long-form and short-form storytelling, investigation, original reporting and provocative commentary to enlighten and entertain African Americans, as well as sports fans seeking a deeper understanding of black athletes, culture and related issues.

In addition to its cutting-edge content, The Undefeated seeks to be a thought-leader on race, sports and culture in the country – convening insightful forums to discuss and debate topical issues affecting sports and race in America.

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Mac Nwulu

I joined ESPN in 1998 and since then, it's been a great experience managing PR and communications for a range of ESPN initiatives and properties over the years. I am currently focused on soccer and The Undefeated, ESPN’s site focusing on sports, race and urban culture and how they intersect.
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