Dear Readers:

This week marks the first for our Report for America corps member, Sinclair Holian, who joins The Rambler to cover the ongoing impacts of residential segregation in Roanoke.

Report for America is a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. We are humbled to be among 101 newsrooms across the country to host a Report for America corps member starting this year.

Please reach out to welcome Sinclair to Roanoke and suggest story ideas you think we could cover. She’s at sinclair@roanokerambler.com or segregation@roanokerambler.com. 

This reporting beat is not just about the past — Roanoke remains segregated today. While we may not be segregated by law, there are neighborhoods in our city where about 90 percent of residents are white. There are other neighborhoods where about 80 percent of residents are Black. This has been the case for so long that many of us see this as “normal.” But as Sinclair’s reporting will show, what may seem normal is hardly natural. 

The issue is not strictly white and black, either. Sinclair will explore the diversity of Roanoke’s neighborhoods. Our coverage aims to educate residents on how some people are harmed by the segregated status quo, and how some benefit. Sinclair will focus on how local government and business leaders are confronting, or not confronting, the impacts that segregation continues to hold on our community — from disparities in income, health, education, life expectancy, exposure to gun violence and more. 

Sinclair comes to Roanoke from Greensboro, where she has already excelled as an early-career journalist. A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate, Sinclair has covered everything from the ongoing impact of HIV on rural populations to racial achievement gaps in public elementary schools. Last year, her story “Land Loss and Legacy on Historic Black-owned Farmland” in INDY Week won “Article of the Year” from the Hearst Journalism Awards Program, considered the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism.

She shares these thoughts:

“Segregation is not a relic of the past — it’s a reality that has shaped the Roanoke community and so many others across the country.

When we ignore this truth, we lose something crucial: the memories, stories, and lived experiences that define who we are. We lose the truth about our shared history, our lives, and our ability to build an informed future.

The Roanoke community deserves to hear these stories. The Rambler wants to help you tell them. I’m truly honored to be a part of this process and this community.

Thank you to The Roanoke Rambler team and Report for America for believing in the power of local journalism and supporting this mission. Most importantly, I want to thank you, the Roanoke community, for trusting me with this responsibility.”

Report for America is a two-year-minimum program. RFA supports a portion of the corps member’s salary, while we, the Roanoke community, must step up to support the rest. To help keep Sinclair in Roanoke writing stories that will help unite a divided city, please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this page.

Please stay tuned for details about a meet-and-greet for Sinclair sometime soon.

Thank you so much for your readership and support.

Todd Jackson 

Managing Editor

The Roanoke Rambler

Local | Investigative | Literary

editor@roanokerambler.com