The Buckeye Flame – Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom – welcome fellows Elizabeth Randolph-Montgomery and Siaara Freeman as part of a six-month reporting fellowship.
The pair will cover LGBTQ+ people of color across the state, producing 12 stories each with a special focus on public health.
Randolph-Montgomery – a Columbus-based writer and editor – will begin work April 13. Freeman – a Cleveland-based educator, playwright and poet – will begin work in June.
Funding for the fellowships was made possible by grants from the Mt. Sinai Health Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation’s LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund.
Meet Elizabeth Randolph-Montgomery
Elizabeth Randolph-Montgomery is a writer, editor and digital storyteller.
Randolph-Montgomery earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in fashion marketing from LIM College.
Her work has appeared via The Inquisitr, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Distractify and Static Media. She has interviewed celebrities and changemakers, from Jennifer Hudson to Bravo’s “Real Housewives” stars Cynthia Bailey and Lisa Rinna.
In addition to her long-running fashion blog “Styled To Bloom,” Randolph-Montgomery also operates the online community Bloom & Tea – “a hub celebrating Black womxn finding or embracing their bloom and also don’t mind a little tea.”
“I am thrilled to have been selected for The Buckeye Flame’s inaugural reporting fellowship,” Randolph-Montgomery said. “The Buckeye Flame’s work resonated with me through its advocacy and commitment to humanizing LGBTQ+ people and businesses in Ohio, while also keeping the community engaged and informed about the health and political policies that directly affect its audience.”
As a reporting fellow, Randolph-Montgomery intends to feature LGBTQ+ leaders and companies “who are doing the necessary work of dedicating their lives and resources to the POC, with a significant highlight of the Black, queer Columbus community.”
“We are more than Pride Month and hate, and I can’t wait to showcase the many events and initiatives in place through public health and beyond, and to raise awareness of the people who make them happen every single day, not just when it’s trendy,” she said. “I look forward to seeing all that’s ahead for me at The Buckeye Flame!”
Meet Siaara Freeman
Siaara Freeman is an award-winning poet, playwright and arts educator based in Cleveland.
Freeman is a four-time Pushcart Prize nominee and currently serves as the 11th Poet Laureate for Cleveland Heights and University Heights, in addition to her work as a middle school teacher.
Freeman published her first full-length manuscript, “Urbanshee,” via Button Poetry in 2023.
The collection is a “retelling of fairy tales and mythological stories through a modern and urban lens,” with a focus on “the weight of being Black in America” and “relationships to lovers and family, and how the physical place you grew up can become part of your identity.”
“Urbanshee” was named a finalist for the 2023 Audre Lorde Award via The Publishing Triangle and winner of the 2023 Silver Award for the Benjamin Franklin IPBA Award for Poetry.
“As a Black queer woman and poet, I’m guided by Audre Lorde’s reminder: ‘If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive,’” Freeman said. “I will report on efforts to define us for ourselves, uplifting Black, queer, unapologetically Midwestern voices and histories, in both sorrow and joy.”
“In my life, I’ve learned that golden opportunities often arrive as golden responsibilities in disguise, and those are the ones I cherish most,” she said. “I’m honored to carry that responsibility through The Buckeye Flame’s POC Reporting Fellowship.”
Ignite Action
- To learn more about Elizabeth Randolph-Montgomery, click here.
- To learn more about Siaara Freeman, click here.
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