Howard student journalists prepare to cover election night with Harris
Kamala Harris will spend election night at Howard, University her alma mater and a prominent HBCU. Staff of student media organizations are prepping for the big assignment.
For a century, student journalists at Howard University have chronicled life on the campus in Washington, D.C., including commencement addresses by seven presidents, celebrity visits and other monumental occasions. But this Tuesday’s assignment represents a historical opportunity.
Vice President Kamala Harris will spend election night at her alma mater, one of the pre-eminent historically Black colleges in America. That means the staff of the student newspaper, The Hilltop, and students of the Department of Media, Journalism and Film are fastidiously preparing to capture history as it unfolds on their own campus.
The Hilltop's editor-in-chief, JD Jean-Jacques II, and managing editor, Juan Benn Jr., display an edition of the student newspaper.Courtesy JD Jean-Jacques II“It’s a special time,” said Juan Benn Jr., 22, a senior from Knoxville, Tenn., and the managing editor of The Hilltop, which recently celebrated its 100th year. “As student journalists, we’ve been taught that we’re not a part of history, that we record history. This moment is an incredible opportunity to do just that.”
Benn said the gravity of the moment is not lost on him. “It’s something that in 10, 15, 20, 30 years down the line I’ll be able to look back at this moment in history and be like, ‘I was there. I reported on it.’”
Harris, who graduated from Howard in 1986, has visited the campus multiple times, including as the commencement speaker in 2017. Two years later, she announced she was running for president at Howard, a place she has called “home.”
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