Tonya Pendleton, Author at TheGrio

About Tonya Pendleton

TONYA PENDLETON is a veteran multimedia journalist in news, sports, lifestyle and entertainment reporting. She’s written for Essence, Ebony, BET.com, The Source, XXL, Jordan Magazine, the Philadelphia Daily News, The Washington Post and more. In her current incarnation as a writer/editor with TheGrio.com and as “Things To Do” curator for NPR affiliate WHYY, she crafts content for a local and global audience. The Philadelphia resident was born and raised in New York City and is a graduate of The New School.

All Articles

Featured Sports November 29, 2021

Metta Sandiford-Artest and Ben Wallace make peace 17 years after ‘Malice at the Palace’

Seventeen years ago, Detroit Pistons player Ben Wallace and Indiana Pacer Ron Artest, as he was known then, were on

Entertainment Featured Music November 9, 2021

Christopher Williams ‘resting comfortably’ amid health battle

R&B stalwart Christopher Williams, who had a hit single with “I’m Dreamin'” in the 90s and starred in the classic

Entertainment Featured Houston Local News Music Top Stories November 8, 2021

Travis Scott warned about crowd control concerns ahead of Astroworld tragedy: report

Concerns about the Travis Scott Astroworld festival were relayed in person to the rapper prior to the disastrous show where

Featured Politics November 8, 2021

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ approval ratings low after disappointing election results

Although President Joe Biden won an important victory on the recent infrastructure bill, which was passed by the House on

Entertainment Featured Music October 18, 2021

BET announces 2021 Soul Train Awards to take place at the Apollo Theater

Two legendary entertainment entities are coming together for the first time. BET announced today that the 2021 Soul Train Music

Featured Sports October 16, 2021

Former NFL star Andre Rison defends Jon Gruden: ‘I know he’s not a racist’

Former NFL wide receiver Andre Rison, who himself has made headlines in the past, has come out on the side

Celebs Entertainment Featured Women October 16, 2021

Eve, displaying baby bump, announces pregnancy

Rapper and actress Eve Jihan Jeffers revealed on social media Friday that she and her husband Maximillion Cooper, the billionaire

Entertainment Featured Television October 12, 2021

Tina Lifford of ‘Queen Sugar’ talks about her groundbreaking role and ‘inner fitness’

Actress Tina Lifford plays an auntie on TV. Those vibes are present in real life as well. On a Zoom

Entertainment Featured Television October 6, 2021

Teaser trailer for ‘The Game’ reboot drops

The Game is back — and its fans are ready for the next incarnation of the popular show, now in

Featured Local News Los Angeles News September 30, 2021

California Gov. Newsom signs law transferring Bruce’s Beach to Black heirs

California Governor Gavin Newsom used his pen to right a decades-old wrong in Southern California. Bruce’s Beach, now a part

Featured Interviews Sports September 30, 2021

Tennis icon Zina Garrison talks mental health, making history and the future of tennis

Zina Garrison may not play tennis anymore, but her legacy is secured. In 1988, she won gold and bronze medals

Featured Health Living Media September 27, 2021

OWN’s new SonRise podcast helps Black parents cope with family mental health issues

Kelli Richardson Lawson had what looked from the outside like a family anyone would aspire to be. She and her

Crime Featured Local News Top Stories September 23, 2021

A Minnesota father says his son is ‘evil’ but didn’t realize there were bodies in car he helped hide

Some fathers help their sons learn how to tie a tie, to throw a ball, or how to shave. Darren

Celebs Featured Sports August 24, 2021

Dell and Sonya Curry accuse each other of cheating in divorce filings

If you thought that Sonya Curry and Dell Curry would have a harmonious divorce after they announced this week that

AFRO-LATINX Entertainment Featured Television August 24, 2021

Arlen Escarpeta shines on ‘David Makes Man’

Actor Arlen Escarpeta is in a unique position – he gets to play both the comedy relief and a dramatic

Entertainment Featured Music August 9, 2021

Producer Chucky Thompson, of Bad Boy’s famed Hitmen, dies

Producer Chucky Thompson, who created massive 90s hits for Bad Boy Records as part of the Hitmen, has died. In

Featured Sports Top Stories August 8, 2021

Top 10 Black Moments at the Tokyo Olympics

The 2021 Olympics is over — sniff, sniff, — and though it was a strange and unprecedented Games in Tokyo,

Celebs Entertainment Featured August 6, 2021

Vanessa Bryant settles lawsuit with her mother

Vanessa Bryant and her estranged mother, Sofia Urbieta Laine have settled their differences if not personally, then at least financially.

Celebs Entertainment Featured Television August 3, 2021

‘Queen Sugar’ announces sixth season premiere

The Bordelon family is heading back to OWN and sooner than most fans likely expected. The network announced on Tuesday

Celebs Entertainment Featured Music July 20, 2021

Oprah shows some ‘respect’ for Jennifer Hudson in interview about Aretha biopic

The icon and force that was Aretha Franklin may have transitioned in 2018, but her decades of musical excellence and