Lilly Workneh
Lilly Workneh
Lilly Workneh is a Ethiopian-American journalist and editor. She was the Black Voices Senior Editor at Huffington Post as well as a Lifestyle News Editor for NBC News's TheGrio.com. [undefined]
She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Blavity and Shadow and Act, two Black-focused publications that report stories in the world of African diaspora. [undefined]
Early Life & Education
Workneh was born in Ethiopia. [undefined] As a child, she moved to Chamblee, Georgia and eventually graduated from Chamblee Charter High School. She then attended the University of Georgia, graduating with a Bachelor's in Publication Management & Consumer Journalism. [undefined]
Career
NBC News / The Grio
In March 2013, Workneh became a Lifestyle Editor for NBC News's TheGrio.com, a website that publishes news, op-eds, and video content geared toward African Americans. [undefined]
Huffington Post - Black Voices
HuffPost Black Voices Senior Editor Lilly Workneh talks diversity in the newsroom
In November 2014, Lilly Workneh began working for Huffington Post. She was a Senior Editor for the Black Voices section, an initiative that seeks to elevate marginalized voices. [undefined] She and her team use Huffington Post's platform to discuss issues that matter most to the African American community. [undefined]
Workneh manages both its editorial and social content.
She left the company on December 1, 2017 to pursue other media-related endeavors.
Blavity & Shadow and Act
Lilly Workneh (right) with Morgan DeBaun, the co-founder and CEO of Blavity
In 2018, Workneh became Editor-in-Chief of two Black-focused news publishers: Blavity and Shadow and Act. Blavity is a tech media platform built for up and coming Black content creators.
It was formed to change the portrayals people have of Black American culture and to create diverse and accurate representations of Black people. [undefined]
Awards & Accomplishments
In 2017, while Lilly Workneh was Senior Editor for Huffington Post, it was announced that the section she headed (Black Voices) was the #2 website for African American readers, behind BET. [undefined]
Workneh was selected to be one of the people to represent the 'Media' category for Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2018. [undefined]
While working at Huffington Post's Black Voices, she interviewed Oprah Winfrey. [undefined]