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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Listen to the latest How To LA podcast to learn how much progress the Bass administration has made. -
How To LAErewhon is famously known as a bougie, hipster grocery store with really expensive food. How to LA learns about its history and appeal. -
In this occasional series, How to LA is spending time talking with local artists about how they view the city. This round is from the seat of a car. -
In 1994, the fix was swift. Here's why. -
It’s November, and kids are still being impacted by the heat. -
The district’s process of counting students has long frustrated parents and administrators. What’s being done about it? -
How To LA producer Evan Jacoby grabs some tools to carve out mountain paths that have been destroyed by wildfires. -
Volunteers work to restore trails across the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
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How one local non-profit is supporting Black, Brown and women entrepreneurs in climate tech. -
Experts sound alarm for areas that have not burned in decades
