Aallyah Wright
@aallyahpatrice.bsky.social
I write about Black rural America for Capital B 🌎
2025 IRE Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellow 🥳
Mississippi 4eva. 🌻
https://capitalbnews.org/author/aallyah-wright/
2025 IRE Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellow 🥳
Mississippi 4eva. 🌻
https://capitalbnews.org/author/aallyah-wright/
Black farmers doing what they always do - feeding their communities in a time of crisis.
My latest on SNAP and the folks stepping in to fill the void: capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...
My latest on SNAP and the folks stepping in to fill the void: capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...
Black-Owned Farms Fill Gaps Left by SNAP Funding Delays
From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused.
capitalbnews.org
November 8, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Black farmers doing what they always do - feeding their communities in a time of crisis.
My latest on SNAP and the folks stepping in to fill the void: capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...
My latest on SNAP and the folks stepping in to fill the void: capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...
Grateful to be featured in Amplify The Sip's Homegrown issue, where I shared why my work is rooted in my home, the Mississippi Delta.
amplifythesip.org/aallyah-wrig...
amplifythesip.org/aallyah-wrig...
Aallyah Wright, a homegrown Delta storyteller - Amplify The Sip
Journalist Aallyah Wright’s roots in Clarksdale, Mississippi, continue to shape how she reports and uplifts Delta stories.
amplifythesip.org
November 3, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Grateful to be featured in Amplify The Sip's Homegrown issue, where I shared why my work is rooted in my home, the Mississippi Delta.
amplifythesip.org/aallyah-wrig...
amplifythesip.org/aallyah-wrig...
Happy birthday to me!
October 31, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Happy birthday to me!
Reposted by Aallyah Wright
Britt White did 5 years for marijuana. Bryan Reid watched from prison as Virginia legalized the plant that put him there.
Now, as cannabis becomes big business, they're asking:
Who really benefits?
🔗 capitalbnews.org/marijuana-po...
Now, as cannabis becomes big business, they're asking:
Who really benefits?
🔗 capitalbnews.org/marijuana-po...
Cannabis Convictions Still Haunt Black Families. This Nonprofit Offers a Lifeline.
The Last Prisoner Project provides grants to currently and formerly incarcerated individuals strictly with cannabis convictions.
capitalbnews.org
October 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Britt White did 5 years for marijuana. Bryan Reid watched from prison as Virginia legalized the plant that put him there.
Now, as cannabis becomes big business, they're asking:
Who really benefits?
🔗 capitalbnews.org/marijuana-po...
Now, as cannabis becomes big business, they're asking:
Who really benefits?
🔗 capitalbnews.org/marijuana-po...
Growing up, I'd heard of Mound Bayou but didn't realize its significance in American history.
I wrote about the Mississippi town that became an all-Black oasis after Reconstruction, and how two brothers are preserving its powerful legacy through a new museum.
capitalbnews.org/preserving-b...
I wrote about the Mississippi town that became an all-Black oasis after Reconstruction, and how two brothers are preserving its powerful legacy through a new museum.
capitalbnews.org/preserving-b...
Founded by Freedmen, Forgotten by Textbooks: The Men Reviving Mound Bayou
From “Women of the Movement” to “Sinners,” this Mississippi town is ready to take center stage.
capitalbnews.org
October 9, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Growing up, I'd heard of Mound Bayou but didn't realize its significance in American history.
I wrote about the Mississippi town that became an all-Black oasis after Reconstruction, and how two brothers are preserving its powerful legacy through a new museum.
capitalbnews.org/preserving-b...
I wrote about the Mississippi town that became an all-Black oasis after Reconstruction, and how two brothers are preserving its powerful legacy through a new museum.
capitalbnews.org/preserving-b...
I remember it like it was yesterday: my professor nudged me to reply to an email from Mississippi Today. The org was looking for someone to cover education based in Clarksdale.
Thanks @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social for including me in Your First Byline!
yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...
Thanks @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social for including me in Your First Byline!
yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...
My First Byline: Aallyah Wright
Rural issues reporter, Capital B
yourfirstbyline.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I remember it like it was yesterday: my professor nudged me to reply to an email from Mississippi Today. The org was looking for someone to cover education based in Clarksdale.
Thanks @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social for including me in Your First Byline!
yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...
Thanks @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social for including me in Your First Byline!
yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...
After 30 years of tracking food insecurity, the USDA discontinued a federal report that monitors level of hunger in U.S. households.
The USDA labeled the report as “redundant, costly, politicized."
capitalbnews.org/usda-ends-fo...
The USDA labeled the report as “redundant, costly, politicized."
capitalbnews.org/usda-ends-fo...
USDA Pulls Plug on Report That Measured Who Goes Hungry in America
LaPorchia Collins, an agricultural economist, professor and researcher, answered five questions on the agency’s decision to halt data collection.
capitalbnews.org
October 1, 2025 at 5:13 PM
After 30 years of tracking food insecurity, the USDA discontinued a federal report that monitors level of hunger in U.S. households.
The USDA labeled the report as “redundant, costly, politicized."
capitalbnews.org/usda-ends-fo...
The USDA labeled the report as “redundant, costly, politicized."
capitalbnews.org/usda-ends-fo...
From opening grocery stores to launching online delivery services, I traveled to rural Mississippi to highlight the work of two Black women who are reimagining how their communities eat and thrive.
This is part of the RNN's "Sowing Resilience" series.
capitalbnews.org/black-women-...
This is part of the RNN's "Sowing Resilience" series.
capitalbnews.org/black-women-...
The Black Women Driving a Food Revolution in Rural Mississippi
From grocery stores to food distribution services, Black women are leading efforts to feed their communities.
capitalbnews.org
September 29, 2025 at 3:04 PM
From opening grocery stores to launching online delivery services, I traveled to rural Mississippi to highlight the work of two Black women who are reimagining how their communities eat and thrive.
This is part of the RNN's "Sowing Resilience" series.
capitalbnews.org/black-women-...
This is part of the RNN's "Sowing Resilience" series.
capitalbnews.org/black-women-...
just a woman showing up, for herself 🌱
September 29, 2025 at 2:10 PM
just a woman showing up, for herself 🌱
I traveled across rural MS to learn how Black women are feeding their communities. The story is part of a series in collaboration with 8 other newsrooms and the Rural News Network.
My story publishes on Monday, but you can catch a preview in tomorrow’s newsletter.
capitalbnews.org/newsletters
My story publishes on Monday, but you can catch a preview in tomorrow’s newsletter.
capitalbnews.org/newsletters
Newsletters
We write the untold stories of Black America. Sign up now for Capital B's national, Atlanta, Gary and Everything's Politics newsletter emails.
capitalbnews.org
September 26, 2025 at 2:33 PM
I traveled across rural MS to learn how Black women are feeding their communities. The story is part of a series in collaboration with 8 other newsrooms and the Rural News Network.
My story publishes on Monday, but you can catch a preview in tomorrow’s newsletter.
capitalbnews.org/newsletters
My story publishes on Monday, but you can catch a preview in tomorrow’s newsletter.
capitalbnews.org/newsletters
The death of Demartravion “Trey” Reed has been ruled a suicide by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office, consistent with findings from the county coroner, which found no evidence of foul play.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney will review the case.
UPDATE: capitalbnews.org/trey-reed-de...
The FBI and U.S. Attorney will review the case.
UPDATE: capitalbnews.org/trey-reed-de...
Black Student Found Hanging at Delta State. Police Say No Foul Play.
The university’s chief of police and director of public safety said that investigators found no evidence he had been attacked before his death.
capitalbnews.org
September 18, 2025 at 10:35 PM
The death of Demartravion “Trey” Reed has been ruled a suicide by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office, consistent with findings from the county coroner, which found no evidence of foul play.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney will review the case.
UPDATE: capitalbnews.org/trey-reed-de...
The FBI and U.S. Attorney will review the case.
UPDATE: capitalbnews.org/trey-reed-de...
The news can feel heavy. At @capitalb.bsky.social, we’re building something different — journalism that points to solutions and reminds us that change is possible.
Help us raise $6,500 to keep doing this work: capitalbnews.fundjournalism.org/donate/?camp...
Help us raise $6,500 to keep doing this work: capitalbnews.fundjournalism.org/donate/?camp...
Join | Capital B
Capital B is supported by people like you. Support Capital B today.
capitalbnews.fundjournalism.org
September 18, 2025 at 2:45 PM
The news can feel heavy. At @capitalb.bsky.social, we’re building something different — journalism that points to solutions and reminds us that change is possible.
Help us raise $6,500 to keep doing this work: capitalbnews.fundjournalism.org/donate/?camp...
Help us raise $6,500 to keep doing this work: capitalbnews.fundjournalism.org/donate/?camp...
Reposted by Aallyah Wright
Watch @capitalb.bsky.social journalist @aallyahpatrice.bsky.social tell @nationalpress.bsky.social Widening the Pipeline fellows about how sustained community engagement helped get the Hollywood blockbuster "Sinners" screened in her hometown of Clarksdale, MS.
nationalpress.org/topic/sinner...
nationalpress.org/topic/sinner...
'Sinners' Came to Clarksdale Thanks to Years of Community Journalism - National Press Foundation
Aallyah Wright of Capital B News used her reporting to amplify the cultural and economic paradoxes of the setting for the movie "Sinners."
nationalpress.org
September 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Watch @capitalb.bsky.social journalist @aallyahpatrice.bsky.social tell @nationalpress.bsky.social Widening the Pipeline fellows about how sustained community engagement helped get the Hollywood blockbuster "Sinners" screened in her hometown of Clarksdale, MS.
nationalpress.org/topic/sinner...
nationalpress.org/topic/sinner...
As aging musicians pass on and juke joints continue to close their doors, Red Paden, famed juke house owner in Clarksdale had a vision to pay homage to elders at his Old Timers Blues Festival.
Red died in 2023, and now his son is carrying on that legacy.
capitalbnews.org/blues-reds-o...
Red died in 2023, and now his son is carrying on that legacy.
capitalbnews.org/blues-reds-o...
Mississippi Blues Elders Are Still Here. This Festival Is Making Sure You Hear Them.
In the birthplace of the blues, Clarksdale Mayor Orlando Paden keeps his father’s legacy and festival alive.
capitalbnews.org
September 5, 2025 at 1:28 PM
As aging musicians pass on and juke joints continue to close their doors, Red Paden, famed juke house owner in Clarksdale had a vision to pay homage to elders at his Old Timers Blues Festival.
Red died in 2023, and now his son is carrying on that legacy.
capitalbnews.org/blues-reds-o...
Red died in 2023, and now his son is carrying on that legacy.
capitalbnews.org/blues-reds-o...
Reposted by Aallyah Wright
A Gullah Geechee community made home on a set of marshes & estuaries in Coastal Georgia. The land still holds their graves, but in 1942 the federal government seized the area for 'national security.'
83 years later, the fight for it back continues.
capitalbnews.org/harris-neck-...
83 years later, the fight for it back continues.
capitalbnews.org/harris-neck-...
The Army Took Their Land. Decades Later, This Black Community Still Wants It Back.
Harris Neck’s residents confront the legacy of federal land grabs and the struggle for reparative justice under the threat of climate change.
capitalbnews.org
September 4, 2025 at 1:46 PM
A Gullah Geechee community made home on a set of marshes & estuaries in Coastal Georgia. The land still holds their graves, but in 1942 the federal government seized the area for 'national security.'
83 years later, the fight for it back continues.
capitalbnews.org/harris-neck-...
83 years later, the fight for it back continues.
capitalbnews.org/harris-neck-...
One of my sources told me how amazed he was by a story I wrote that featured him. He said I told the complete truth, captured his words accurately, and somehow managed to express what he couldn’t say. “It was like you were writing with the feeling from the ancestors." 😭
September 4, 2025 at 1:18 PM
One of my sources told me how amazed he was by a story I wrote that featured him. He said I told the complete truth, captured his words accurately, and somehow managed to express what he couldn’t say. “It was like you were writing with the feeling from the ancestors." 😭
When the Hollywood production of Sinners came to Clarksdale, it gave new life to an idea that had floated around for years: Clarksdale Day, a weekend to celebrate culture, community, and unity.
On Labor Day weekend, the Clarksdale Day Fest came to fruition.
capitalbnews.org/clarksdale-d...
On Labor Day weekend, the Clarksdale Day Fest came to fruition.
capitalbnews.org/clarksdale-d...
'Sinners' Put Clarksdale on the Map. Locals Used It to Build Unity.
Black residents in Mississippi's home of the blues hold a festival and put African American culture on display.
capitalbnews.org
September 3, 2025 at 3:11 PM
When the Hollywood production of Sinners came to Clarksdale, it gave new life to an idea that had floated around for years: Clarksdale Day, a weekend to celebrate culture, community, and unity.
On Labor Day weekend, the Clarksdale Day Fest came to fruition.
capitalbnews.org/clarksdale-d...
On Labor Day weekend, the Clarksdale Day Fest came to fruition.
capitalbnews.org/clarksdale-d...
It’s great to see outlets like the AP & Times covering Mayor Braxton’s story out of Newbern, AL. I was the first national reporter to cover it — going back to '23 — and the only reporter on the ground on Election Day. Grateful for our work at Capital B for elevating this injustice.
Black Alabama Mayor Once Blocked by White Town Leaders Wins Reelection
For the first time in the majority-Black town’s history, residents got to participate directly in the democratic process.
capitalbnews.org
September 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
It’s great to see outlets like the AP & Times covering Mayor Braxton’s story out of Newbern, AL. I was the first national reporter to cover it — going back to '23 — and the only reporter on the ground on Election Day. Grateful for our work at Capital B for elevating this injustice.
Reposted by Aallyah Wright
Beyond impacting funding for schools, law enforcement and local government, the passage of SEA 1 is expected to impact funds for local libraries. Learn more in my latest for the Indiana Capital Chronicle - and if you're one of those who thinks libraries are just books you might be surprised!
September 2, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Beyond impacting funding for schools, law enforcement and local government, the passage of SEA 1 is expected to impact funds for local libraries. Learn more in my latest for the Indiana Capital Chronicle - and if you're one of those who thinks libraries are just books you might be surprised!
Remember Newbern, Alabama — the rural town where a Black man was blocked from serving as mayor and where elections had never been held?
Today, voters are making history as they cast ballots in the town’s first-ever municipal election.
NEW: capitalbnews.org/newbern-alab...
Today, voters are making history as they cast ballots in the town’s first-ever municipal election.
NEW: capitalbnews.org/newbern-alab...
Black Mayor in Rural Alabama Once Denied His Seat Faces Opponent
For the first time in the majority-Black town’s history, residents on Tuesday get to participate directly in the democratic process.
capitalbnews.org
August 26, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Remember Newbern, Alabama — the rural town where a Black man was blocked from serving as mayor and where elections had never been held?
Today, voters are making history as they cast ballots in the town’s first-ever municipal election.
NEW: capitalbnews.org/newbern-alab...
Today, voters are making history as they cast ballots in the town’s first-ever municipal election.
NEW: capitalbnews.org/newbern-alab...
Only four Black justices have ever served on the Mississippi Supreme Court, and never more than one at a time.
This week, a federal judge found that the state's map used for Supreme Court elections dilutes Black voting power.
capitalbnews.org/mississippi-...
This week, a federal judge found that the state's map used for Supreme Court elections dilutes Black voting power.
capitalbnews.org/mississippi-...
Black Voters ‘Finally’ Get Win After Federal Judge Strikes Down Mississippi Map
On Aug. 19, a federal judge ruled the state must redraw the map that it uses to elect its Supreme Court justices.
capitalbnews.org
August 22, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Only four Black justices have ever served on the Mississippi Supreme Court, and never more than one at a time.
This week, a federal judge found that the state's map used for Supreme Court elections dilutes Black voting power.
capitalbnews.org/mississippi-...
This week, a federal judge found that the state's map used for Supreme Court elections dilutes Black voting power.
capitalbnews.org/mississippi-...
I have been MIA on here. How are y'all?
August 20, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I have been MIA on here. How are y'all?
Reposted by Aallyah Wright
Supporters of Tyesha Long said she is the “poster child” for the state’s Survivor’s Act because of her documented history of abuse.
But one advocate said it’s “hard to imagine more Black women benefiting” from similar second chance laws.
To learn more about her case:
capitalbnews.org/tyesha-long-...
But one advocate said it’s “hard to imagine more Black women benefiting” from similar second chance laws.
To learn more about her case:
capitalbnews.org/tyesha-long-...
She Got 27 Years for Killing Her Abuser. Oklahoma’s Survivors Act Could Free Her.
A judge will submit a written decision in Tyesha Long’s hearing next month.
capitalbnews.org
August 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Supporters of Tyesha Long said she is the “poster child” for the state’s Survivor’s Act because of her documented history of abuse.
But one advocate said it’s “hard to imagine more Black women benefiting” from similar second chance laws.
To learn more about her case:
capitalbnews.org/tyesha-long-...
But one advocate said it’s “hard to imagine more Black women benefiting” from similar second chance laws.
To learn more about her case:
capitalbnews.org/tyesha-long-...
Reposted by Aallyah Wright
In this spotlight on @capitalb.bsky.social –– one of 90+ newsrooms in @inn.org's Rural News Network –– health care professionals, advocates tell @aallyahpatrice.bsky.social their biggest fear is that Black communities will be the hardest hit and the lack of access could worsen economic disparities.
Medicaid Cuts Endanger Life-Saving Care for Black Families in Rural America
Advocates and experts warn that the rollbacks could have a drastic impact on public health in Black communities.
capitalbnews.org
August 12, 2025 at 7:04 PM
In this spotlight on @capitalb.bsky.social –– one of 90+ newsrooms in @inn.org's Rural News Network –– health care professionals, advocates tell @aallyahpatrice.bsky.social their biggest fear is that Black communities will be the hardest hit and the lack of access could worsen economic disparities.
Health care advocates say their biggest fear with the Medicaid cuts in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" is that it will reduce access to care, leading to deaths, chronic illnesses, and worsening economic disparities in Black rural communities.
MY LATEST: capitalbnews.org/medicaid-cut...
MY LATEST: capitalbnews.org/medicaid-cut...
Medicaid Cuts Endanger Life-Saving Care for Black Families in Rural America
Advocates and experts warn that the rollbacks could have a drastic impact on public health in Black communities.
capitalbnews.org
August 12, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Health care advocates say their biggest fear with the Medicaid cuts in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" is that it will reduce access to care, leading to deaths, chronic illnesses, and worsening economic disparities in Black rural communities.
MY LATEST: capitalbnews.org/medicaid-cut...
MY LATEST: capitalbnews.org/medicaid-cut...