Angela M. Hill, an investigative journalist and producer, was recently appointed the Ida B. Wells professor of Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. During her tenure at the Washington Post, she co-led a video team producing enterprise, investigative, and multimedia projects. Previously, as a national investigative journalist and producer for the Scripps Washington Bureau and an investigative producer for ABC News Network in New York, she reported and produced national broadcast stories. Her accolades include two Emmy and Peabody awards, a George Polk award, and a Robert F. Kennedy Grand Prize award.
Munson Steed: Hey, everybody! This is Munson Steed, and we are on sisters with superpowers. There are sisters who are dynamic in this universe. They make it so that we can see and have places and spaces that illuminate the opportunities for us, to know how far and how much we can do to change the world, and to make sure that we know inside of us there lies a power of greatness. I am joined today by the one, the other the award winning journalist, visionary, and my dear sister with superpowers. Angela Hill, how are you?
Angela Hill: I’m doing great, Munson. Thank you so much for that very kind introduction. It’s really great to be with you today.
MS: When you think about the story inside of you that you are always working to tell, why is storytelling important? Particularly for African American, black Americans for us to see ourselves.
AH: Yeah, I think storytelling is part of our tradition. So far, long ago, when we first came to these lands, and before we came to these lands. And so, I think it’s really important for us to be able to tell our stories and tell them with a certain level of passion and a certain level of understanding to know that what we’re sharing doesn’t just benefit us. It benefits generations to come. The generations that have come after us, to really inspire them, to encourage them, to educate them, to empower them. So, I do think they and I’ve always believed that storytelling has always been a very powerful part of our tradition.
And so, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to be a part of from as long as I can remember. Didn’t always know how to go about getting into it, in terms of journalistically. But, I just knew growing up, that was something that was very important in our household. Just being able to tell stories. The power of books, the power of reading, the power of understanding, the power of processing what you have just read, and making sure that you do understand it. So yeah, it’s so important to us as a people.
We know that our ancestors, and thereafter just use storytelling to be strategic, to get out of certain situations, to empower one another, to move forward. And so, it continues to be a very important tradition, I think, in our community, and I think just communities at large.
MS: When you are preparing to give access and you’re gonna be a MC of a huge opportunity. When you think of INROADS, and the fact that there are young people that will have access to corporate jobs. What are those stories that you see coming out of their lives? Having been given that opportunity that transforms them into something that without access, without understanding or seeing corporate behaviors, they can’t tell their stories to others.
AH: Yeah, this question means a lot to me, because it forces me to think about what INROADS has meant to me and I think I’m still in touch. I am in touch with a lot of INROADS alumni, and we often share, like what INROADS has meant for us. Not just in the times when we were INROADS, but like years and now decades after. And for me, INROADS really made an incredible, indelible impact on my life. It was really the game changer. I always say that for me as a senior in high school to be looking to prepare to head off to college.
The training, the excellent leadership skills, the unwavering personal support, the mentorship, all of the things that I received during INROADS really prepared me to be not only a success professionally, but personally. And I was always raised to kind of give back to my community and help those in need. And that’s something that INROADS continues to teach us now, and the importance of fostering community, and being leaders in our communities, and walking alongside others to help them become leaders. And so, when I think about my own experience, I know how much INROADS meant to me, and how much better the organization has gotten since I came through.
All I can think about is what this organization is doing, is phenomenal. And I, it may sound corny, but I do sometimes get goosebumps about this, because for so many young people, it is the game changer. It is the organization that’s going to expose them to different things. A corporate sector exposes them to people, experiences that they otherwise would not have had. And so, like for me, that means giving them a leg up, giving them a chance to really be able to be competitive, in what is an extremely competitive market. Whether they’re going to go into IT or business, or the creatives.
It just means that they will have an opportunity to really be able to push forward and be able to be exposed and experience things that, man, could just really change their lives. I mean one of the other things that INROADS always taught us was, it’s all about the importance of networking. The importance of getting out there, making sure that people know who you are, making sure you’re connecting with the right people. And so, in order to be able to do that, you have to have a level of confidence. And I think that’s another thing that INROADS does inspire within its young people.
Those who are going through the programs. It’s a level of confidence that yes, you do belong. Yes, you are important. Yes, you can do this. And if you’re feeling like you can’t, we have people who are gonna walk along this journey with you, to make sure you understand that you can. And so, I think the power of that, when we think about so many young people today who don’t have the support system that they need to be successful, whether it’s in middle school or high School. But then, when you start thinking about the next level, when you start thinking about young people who desire and want to go to college, and who want and desire want to be in the professional world, whatever they’re industry ultimately ends up being.
We know that old saying, it takes a village, and it does take a village. INROADS is so uniquely positioned to really help its young people. Kind of go through that process, and not only just go through it, but thrive and be successful. And so, I could talk for days about INROADS and the impact that it’s had on me, that I’ve seen it have on so many, so many people across this country.
MS: Well, let’s talk about the idea of curiosity. Once you get there and you’re in INROADS and you now are in a new environment. How does curiosity play a role in being able to now grow, learn in an environment that you hadn’t been introduced to until INROADS?
AH: Yeah, that’s a great question. As a journalist, I always feel like I constantly have to be curious, wanting to understand more, wanting to know why, wanting to ask the next question. But I think, as a student who was coming through INROADS like they fostered that. They fostered wanting to be curious and being bold, and finding those allies within your organization. I was a business major. I wasn’t a journalism major. When I went through INROADS, I went to Georgetown University undergrad.
I was a business major, and I thought I was gonna be in marketing. And I ended up like in the HR Department of Blue Cross and Blue shield. And so, I’ve had an interesting trajectory. But with all of that, like I was, they taught us also to find allies within the organization that you were placed in. And I was fortunate to be able to find those allies, who allowed me to be curious, who made themselves available to answer questions, who encouraged me to kind of push the envelope a little bit, to stretch myself in ways that maybe I would not have ordinarily done.
And so, yeah, I think we have the notion that at some certain stages of our lives, we shouldn’t be as curious as we should be. But, I think that’s the beauty of us learning and growing, is just being curious, and I feel like INROADS foster that. I feel like many of the organizations that they partnered with, who hired us young people to be interns. They came into weekend sessions at INROADS to kind of teach us certain things about, how to navigate the corporate sector. I mean everything down from proper etiquette. Seating placement and table placement when you’re going out to dinner.
These are things that many of us never had anyone sit down and teach us certain things. And they did, and these were corporate folks who took time out of their weekend schedules, away from their family I’m sure, to come teach us. And so, I feel like it was this entire process that enveloped us, to make sure that we knew that, we could ask the hard questions. We could be curious. It’s okay to not know the thing, because that’s what people are here to help teach us. And so, yeah, definitely they stay supportive about the curious nature of us, and really encourage it.
MS: As a sister with superpowers, what super powers have you? Just two. Developed that you think were fostered in the fact that you went through INROADS, and knew that there was something special now about you, being selected and being given access? What are those 2 superpowers that you use today?
AH: Yeah, I mean, that’s a really great question. I mean, first, I’ll say, I don’t necessarily feel like a super person or woman. But the one thing that has always been a constant throughout my life, not necessarily something I learned through INROADS. It’s just faith. My faith is really, I would probably say, if I had any super power, it would be my faith. My faith in God, and just knowing that I’m loved and I’m cared for, and I have people around me who are gonna support me.
But I think some of the things that I learned during my time at INROADS, that kind of gives me a super power is. Number one, the importance of just being, I guess I would say tenacity. Just the tenacity, being determined, working hard like, just keep pushing. Never give up and when I think about young people today, and not all of them, but some of the young people that I’ve had an opportunity to work with. I think some of them don’t have that tenacious spirit. They don’t have that tenacity, that determination to keep going, because they feel like, if they didn’t get it the first time. I’m gonna give up, or I’m throwing in a towel or someone’s against me.
And it’s not always about that, it’s about really making sure that you really dig in deep all 10 toes down, as they say, and keep working really hard. So, I would just say the first one would probably be, tenacity being tenacious. I guess the second one would be and I sort of mentioned this a little bit earlier, but, like the power of networking. I mean, if there’s one thing I left out of INROADS, knowing and understanding, is the power of networking. You’ve gotta keep networking. You’ve gotta stay connected with people, you have to follow up with people, and that’s something that honestly has served me incredibly well throughout my career.
I mean to the point where I just recently said to someone, I think most of the jobs that I’ve had in the last, I don’t know, 10 or 15 years, maybe 10. I didn’t necessarily apply for them. People came looking for me and I think that says a lot about the power of networking. I had a mentor when I was at ABC News, and I said to him, yeah, I always learn the power of networking. And you gotta like know people. And one thing he said to me, he said, Yeah, that’s true. But, he said, probably more important than that is, who knows you.
And It took me a second to like, really understand that kind of flipping things on their head a bit for me, and then I thought about it. Yes, I can network all I want, but if I’m not making an impression on people, and there’s an opportunity that comes up. They’re not gonna think about calling Angela Hill for the opportunity. So, it is like making sure that you’re networking but also it’s not ‘cause I said, It’s all about who you know. And his response was, well. a lot of times it’s about who knows you.
And so, I think those 2 concepts kinda like, go hand in hand. Yes, you wanna be networking but you also wanna be making an impression, so that when some opportunity does come up. They think, oh, Angela Hill will be good for this opportunity. And honestly, that’s how the last few of my jobs have come about, is that people saw me. They remembered me. They’ve seen my work, and they reached out and said, hey? Would you be interested in this opportunity?
MS: If you were able to speak to a fortune 500 group of CEOs that were asking you to speak and describe, why should they begin to double down and invest in INROADS today, to help them achieve raising a half billion dollars? What would you say to them in this speech? If you had 2 min to present to these titans of the industry.
AH: Yeah, that’s a great question. I think INROADS. INROADS has a track record. I mean, they have proven that they’ve been able to identify young people who are talented, who have the opportunity to expand their knowledge base, expand their skill sets. Because they have heart, they have the desire, they have the can do, will do, want to do spirit. And so, I would say to those fortune 500 companies, if you’re looking to partner with an organization that understands young people, understands the corporate sector, understands the business world and understands how to identify talent at an early age, that we can say, look this is a young person that we can groom, and a young person that we can support and give them the right tools that they need to help make them successful.
And I think, for the past decades, INROADS has proven that they are that organization. You could do that, I mean, when you look around, I’m always amazed, and maybe I shouldn’t be. I’m always amazed when I meet someone who’s a former Inroader. And they’re like a CEO of some major organization or a vice president, or maybe they’re doing something astounding in the community that really makes a difference. Like this is what you get when you partner with INROADS, when you say, hey look, we’re gonna trust you to help us find young people who are looking to further their career, who are looking to not only further their career but make an impact.
Not just in the organization, but outside of the organization, because we all know how important it is for us to not only lead the charge and lead the way, with regards to how organizations run and make an impact there, but also the community, the larger community. And I think the INROADS has just been at the forefront of identifying young people, particularly young people of color, who just need the opportunity. They just need the chance to show that they can succeed.
And so, I would say that it’s INROADS track record. It’s their commitment to not just developing a person, a young person who can work in somebody’s corporation, but developing a holistic person. Making sure that person is well equipped to succeed in the corporate place and the personal place in the community setting. And I think that’s invaluable, that is invaluable. There are so few organizations, if any others that are really offering that, and have the level of commitment that INROADS has had for so many years.
MS: Thank you. Last question, as a sister with superpowers. If you were to go speak at Spelman or Howard, even if you went over to what I would say is just around speaking to all young people. If you could whisper in their ears as graduating seniors entering the workplace. What would the title of your speech be for them? And what would be the 3 things that you would challenge them to do for the world and for the community?
AH: Hmm! The title of my speech? Maybe something like it is possible and you can make it happen. And then what was the second part, what aspects I would highlight?
MS: What are the 3 things you would challenge them to do?
AH: Hmm, okay, it is possible, and you can make it happen. I would really challenge them to dig deep and really think about how they can make an impact. And I think so often we think an impact has to be this humongous thing. Impacts can be big and small, and I would encourage them and challenge them to to think about what things that they can be doing to really make an impact, not just for themselves, but for other people along the way. So, that would be the first thing. I would challenge them to continue to just reach for the stars like, go after that thing that you feel like. You don’t think you can really do it like you could probably do it.
And I think, one of the things that I was just telling a friend about this not too long ago. One of the phrases that really kept me focused and like, fought back all the fears that I had when I was coming along and trying to transition out of the business sector into journalism. Was the tag phrase, “do it afraid”, “do it afraid”. And so, I used to always tell myself when I struggled with fear. Can I do this? Maybe this is not what I’m supposed to be doing? Maybe there’s something else. Oh, I’m not gonna be good enough. They’re gonna be other people who are better than me. “Do it afraid” was what I would always try to remind myself, and that’s what I would tell young people today.
Even if you don’t feel like you can do the thing, do it anyway. Try to see what happens if you go forward. Do that thing, don’t let the people around you who may be naysayers. Don’t let people who say, Oh, you don’t come from the back right background. You don’t come from the right class. You don’t have all the resources in there. You don’t have XY, and Z, yeah, that’s okay, because there have been people who’ve done greater things with less. So, I would encourage them to do it, afraid, because it is possible. And you can make it happen. You can do it.
And then, I think the third thing that I would encourage them to do is something that’s really important to me is bring someone else along with you, reach back and help somebody else do it afraid and do it as well. I think that’s one of the things that we often forget. So many of us are so focused on trying to carve out our own successes, accomplish our own goals, reach those heights, and we should be doing that. But I also think it’s so vitally important that we help others do the same. You know that old saying, Each one teach one.
It’s so important for us to reach back to those people who may not have had some of the same opportunities and experiences that we’ve had, and help them along the way. That’s the only way that we all get better. If I’m great but I’m the only one who’s great, that’s not true greatness. We need a bunch of people who are great. And so, I think the more we can do to help encourage one another and reach back and help someone else and bring someone else along the way. It’s vitally important. That’s the only way that we continue to thrive and succeed as a people, as a community, as a nation. We’ve gotta be willing to help others along the way. So, those would be my 3 things that I’d say to the students.
MS: Well, I know you have tons of superpowers, and I just experienced one of them, speech writing for sure. But I wanna thank you for all that you’ve given, congratulations on MCing. And I can just imagine what that feels like to be up there and convey the ominous feelings that people will have receiving the awards from INROADS, and just recognizing your continued flight, higher. Congratulations on all your awards that you continue to win as being just an example of a sister with superpowers in the industry of journalism and sisterhood. I’m Munson Steed, you’ve been hanging out with sisters super powers here on rolling out, and I’ve been with my dear sister with superpowers. Angela Hill. Thank you so much for coming on today.
AH: Thank you, Munson, for having me.
