Lilly Workneh shares the beauty of discovering her passion

Lilly Workneh is the senior editor for The Huffington Post’s vertical, Black Voices. Her work aims to amplify marginalized voices in a mainstream space by elevating the black experience and the diversity among it. She oversees all of Black Voices’ coverage, which aims to defend and celebrate black culture and black lives. “I do my best to share the truth at all times and push back against damaging and dangerous narratives,” Workneh said. With that in mind, she has written about everything from police killings and discrimination to black women’s issues and more.

Noteworthy Quotes

Workneh said she pursued a career in journalism because she believes that “stories can inform, inspire and empower,” she explained. “They have the ability to share the truth, shape perspectives, change opinions, create change and amplify voices and experiences that too often go unrecognized. Journalism plays a huge role in our lives and how we live them — it’s what I appreciate most about storytelling.”

The Path

Workneh got her first big break in journalism right out of college with an editorial internship at People magazine. She was quickly converted into a reporter yet soon realized that covering celebrity journalism wasn’t her preferred passion. Workneh, who has also worked and written for CNN, went on to work for NBC’s The Grio, a black news website, where she spent nearly two years as the Lifestyle News Editor. “I learned a lot of valuable lessons while working there, but mostly, it reaffirmed by passion to write and report on what I cared most about: black people and black issues,” Workneh said. She later went on to lead HuffPost Black Voices in November 2014.