Aaricka Washington
As the associate editor for How To LA, I not only write daily news stories in collaboration with the podcast, I lead strategy conversations with my team in order to create captivating, impactful stories for the podcast, digital site, radio and social media that capture the life, news, and culture of Los Angeles. In this role, I also report on original, L.A.-centric, in-depth stories monthly for the How To LA podcast. My stories largely focus on marginalized communities, youth and education. Lastly, I plan, coordinate and host community events with the aim of broadening and expanding audience reach within LAist and How To LA.
A community-driven local news reporter at heart, I've spent countless hours talking to parents, teachers, students, community members and school board trustees about the most crucial issues in education. I’ve covered breaking news, enterprise and investigative education stories for Chalkbeat Indiana and the Austin American-Statesman, focusing on the experiences of people from historically under-resourced communities that were similar to my childhood working class neighborhoods. I’ve also written for The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, Time Magazine and several other news publications.
Before becoming a professional journalist, I was a Teach for America corps member in Houston, Texas teaching Black, Latino and Southeast Asian kids in low-income schools.
I earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University-Bloomington.
My dad’s parents met in South L.A. after moving from Arkansas and Louisiana during The Great Migration in the late 1940s. They settled in Watts and started a large family of Washingtons. My family is currently all over South L.A. They are indeed witnesses of the most infamous, transformative parts of modern Black L.A. history. I was born in L.A. on the exact day my grandparents were married 40 years earlier. While I’m from L.A, I grew up mostly in Indianapolis, Indiana with my mom and visited nearly every summer. After living in Indianapolis, Houston, Austin and New York, it was time to return to my roots. I’m so happy to be back.
I’m an avid roller skater, long-distance runner, (soon-to-be) swimmer, and one helluva dope Auntie.
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How To LAThe L.A. County Equity Roundtable is a government response to rising food insecurity. -
How To LACrop Swap LA founder Jamiah Hargins wants to create access to fresh produce in the city’s food deserts. -
How To LAThis marks a crucial period for the LA Sheriff’s Department as an outsider takes over -
How To LAPlus, other news, including a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations -
How To LAThe Art Of Gathering Wild Food in Los AngelesIf you know where to look, there's nutritious food all around us in LA -
How To LAPeople can celebrate the game and their culture while watching the World Cup in LA -
How To LAExperts on L.A.'s homelessness issue have some thoughts about what the new administration should do to make change happen. -
How To LAMany newly elected officials across California will start their jobs next month -
How To LAWe've got suggestions for all the food, plants and experiences you might want to gift this year -
How To LAPlus, Los Angeles City Council advanced plan to audit annual homeless count
