Leah Donnella grew up outside Philadelphia and got her start in radio as an intern at Code Switch. She’s worked nearly every position at the show, reporting on decolonizing beauty routines and plumbing the depths of her own family mythology. Leah pitched us a story at the intersection of race and global migration: she will travel to the American South to explore how American “Blackness” is being redefined by growing Black immigrant populations. Today, nearly 10 percent of Black Americans were born outside of the US.

The fellowship suspended operations in 2021 during the pandemic. Leah is our first post-pandemic fellow, and the first to report on global themes domestically.

Follow her journey in photos and behind the scenes via our blog and Instagram, plus view the full “Black immigrants and the American South” series at NPR.

• “Remembering and unremembering, from Kigali to Nashville” — Code Switch, 9/13/2023

• “Black immigrants to the U.S. are growing in numbers, but they don't feel understood” — Morning Edition, 6/6/2023

• “Black immigrants are growing in numbers, but in the U.S. many often feel invisible” — NPR.org, 6/4/2023

• “In Tennessee, Black immigrants navigate a tricky course to a coveted driver's license” — All Things Considered, 5/8/2023

• “The South is home to a growing Black immigrant population” — Weekend Edition, 5/7/2023