Preview

This year was my first with the Prospect, as well as the inaugural year for the John Lewis Writing Fellowship. My writing has improved and my perspective has expanded; these are the stories that demonstrate my growth and commitment to equity the most.

Therapy by and for Black Women: This is a story dear to my heart for many reasons: It’s personal, it’s important, it’s misunderstood and under-discussed. Seeing it published also showed me that there’s a space for these tense and uncomfortable discussions in the magazine world and our culture broadly.

Meet the Organizations Fighting for Zero-Emissions Freight: This piece combined all the things I love about the Prospect, particularly the attention to the detail of a story and to the impact of an issue on communities that continue to face systemic abuse and neglect. I also enjoyed digging into an environmental issue that was so salient, yet I barely knew it existed.

Police Have No Duty to Protect the Public: Writing this piece was very fun and necessary. It challenges a notion in our culture that is so accepted people rarely question it, and subsequently adds a new dimension to the discussion of police brutality.

Abortion Doctors Under the Microscope: I was honored to be given the chance to examine this profession that was thrust into the spotlight in the most harmful way possible. I had to balance a private issue with a public current, and the result makes me proud for its strong narrative and extensive reporting.

Brothers From Another Planet: Mental health is a constantly evolving conversation, but highlighting the way privilege and mental health intersect is really important. Too often, people with privilege or a perceived stature receive no help for their mental health issues and are instead made a spectacle for the amusement of the public. I wanted to point out this fault and the harm it does to people.

Raised Voices, Raised Fists: Black athletes get all the terrible parts of our culture, so I wanted to draw together all of those issues. The result is a reflection on the careers of amazing Black athletes and their struggle within a society that relentlessly tears them down.

~RAMENDA CYRUS