For over a decade, BBN covered the stories, people, and communities that mainstream outlets consistently underserved — not as a secondary consideration, but as the editorial mission itself. We believed that Black and Brown communities deserved journalism that reflected the full complexity of their lives: their politics, culture, cares, struggles, community, and power. We built the publication from scratch, on that conviction, and we meant every word of it.
BBN earned national and international visibility, multiple awards for excellence in journalism, and contributed to policy conversations and influenced decisions that extended well beyond our readership.
We were selected as a case study partner by the Ford Foundation-funded CUNY Graduate School of Journalism (renamed to the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY), and we built lasting relationships with community-based and independent media organizations that shared our commitment to centering communities too often left to the margins of the news cycle.
What mattered most, though, was something simpler yet meaningful: we showed up consistently for communities that had learned not to expect it from the press.
For now, you can find me at ToomerStrategies.com.
—Sharon Toomer, Founder & Publisher