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About Natasha S. Alford

Natasha S. Alford is an award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and media executive who uses the power of storytelling to inspire and inform. As the Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer of theGrio, she leads a national newsroom dedicated to amplifying overlooked narratives and reporting on critical issues impacting the Black community. 

A versatile creator, Natasha is the executive producer and director of the Amazon Prime Video documentary Afro-Latinx Revolution: Puerto Rico (2020), which explores the complexities of Afro-Latino identity. In 2024, she published her critically acclaimed memoir, American Negra (HarperCollins), which earned an International Latino Book Award and reflects on her journey navigating race, identity, and a career in media.

Before her executive leadership roles, Natasha was a general assignment reporter for WROC-TV and an educator with Teach For America. Her work has been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue, and Oprah Daily. Recognized for her impact, she was named "Emerging Journalist of the Year" by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in 2018.
Areas of Expertise

Digital Media Leadership & Strategy
Afro-Latino Identity & Diaspora Stories
Political Analysis & Social Justice
Documentary Filmmaking & Production
Memoir & Narrative Non-Fiction Writing

Professional Experience

Senior Vice President & Chief Content Officer — theGrio (Present)
Political Analyst — CNN (2019–Present)
Vice President of Digital Content — theGrio (2019–2024)
Adjunct Assistant Professor — Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
General Assignment Reporter — WROC-TV (Rochester, NY)

Education

Master of Public Policy (MPP) — Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs
Master of Science in Broadcast Journalism — Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism

Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies — Harvard University

Follow her on social media at @natashasalford across all platforms.

All Articles

September 15, 2018
[griojw id=”jZDsrhB8″ playerid=”x9J2bwvH”] This week at the Congressional Black Caucus‘ 48th Annual Legislative Conference, media maven April Reign stepped into
Meek Mill thegrio.com
September 14, 2018
It was standing room only when Meek Mill headlined a  panel on criminal justice reform at the 2018 Congressional Black…
September 13, 2018
It's a primary day in New York, but Jumaane Williams is preaching the promise of a new way of getting…
Lucy mcbath botham jean thegrio.com
September 13, 2018
Lucy McBath, the mother of slain teenager, Jordan Davis, has words of comfort and motivation for the family of slain…
September 12, 2018
Sen. Nina Turner delivered a speech at the "Power of the Polls" event calling out voter disenfranchisement as a reinvented…
September 12, 2018
With a record number of Black candidates running for office this year, there has been a lot of excitement about…
Kamala Harris Cory Booker thegrio.com
September 11, 2018
Expect 90 different policy forums, meet and greets, and fabulous parties at the 2018 Congressional Black Caucus conference.
September 11, 2018
Rapper T.I. says actress and New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Cynthia Nixon, has earned his vote.
Ayanna Pressley thegrio.com
September 4, 2018
[griojw id=”9o6uomQA” playerid=”BqxyiSkR”]   Ayanna Pressley just pulled off another stunner. Tuesday night, Pressley, the first woman of color to win
August 28, 2018
[griojw id=”VDNwxobK” playerid=”GqX43ZoG”]   Andrew Gillum did it, and he did it his way. The Mayor of Tallahassee is projected
August 28, 2018
[griojw id=”0Vpv5NW4″ playerid=”GqX43ZoG”]If you’ve ever watched journalist, April Ryan, doing her thing in the White House, you can see just
August 27, 2018
Andrew Gillum is on the verge of making history. Gillum, 39, is the mayor of Tallahassee and he's vying to…
August 21, 2018
[griojw id=”vvfLzMz1″ playerid=”GqX43ZoG”] There was melanin magic all over the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards Pink Carpet last night at
Omarosa Manigault theGrio.com
August 16, 2018
[griojw id=”lSRM9MEh” playerid=”GqX43ZoG”] Could it be Omarosa 2020? Former White House aide, Omarosa Manigault Newman, who has gone toe-to-toe with
August 15, 2018
[griojw id=”5NMEFWCx” playerid=”GqX43ZoG”]In part two of her first interview with an African-American media outlet since the release of her blistering
August 14, 2018
Omarosa Manigault Newman talks to theGrio about her blistering memoir Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House.
Lezley McSpadden thegrio.com
August 10, 2018
Lezley McSpadden announces she is running for city council in Ferguston, Missouri where her unarmed son was gunned down four…
August 10, 2018
[griojw id=”5pIx6gPf” playerid=”GqX43ZoG”] Spike Lee’s newest film, BlacKkKlansman, tells the story of the racial divide that seems to transcend time.
August 10, 2018
[griojw id=”5pIx6gPf” playerid=”GqX43ZoG”] Today BlacKkKlansman opens in theaters nationwide on the one-year anniversary of arguably America’s ugliest day of 2017: Charlottesville’s
Spike Lee thegrio.com
August 1, 2018
[griojw id=”QFBRZxhW” playerid=”GqX43ZoG”]   Legendary film director Spike Lee says living in the era of President Donald Trump is a