We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics, policy and power. Read our story.

Staff

Gabriella Gladney

Reporting fellow (She/her)

Hi! I’m Gabriella Gladney, one of The 19th’s reporting fellows and I have a background in audio and reporting. I was most recently a producer at SiriusXM, where I worked across shows like 99% Invisible, Atlas Obscura and Brown Enough. I wrote and produced more than 50 Atlas Obscura episodes on cultural history, geography and overlooked places. I also supported editorial workflows for 99% Invisible and produced an episode on Black beauty supply stores.

I began my audio career as a student at Spelman College, where I created The Blue Record, a podcast and media platform for student-led storytelling.
In 2024, I was a reporting fellow for City Bureau, where I focused on how unhoused residents in Chicago navigate voting and civic life. I later helped produce a live community forum connecting local leaders with impacted residents. My freelance writing and reporting have since appeared in Block Club Chicago and Windy City Times.

I publish a personal newsletter, Lazy Natural, where I deconstruct modern beauty culture. In 2025, my newsletter was the recipient of the Ann Friedman Weekly Fellowship.

I hold a bachelor’s from Spelman and am an alum of Spelman’s Social Justice Fellowship. I’m from Houston and now live in Chicago.

My work is free to consume and free to republish because of contributions from readers like you. A donation of $19 goes a long way toward sustaining our nonprofit newsroom.

Latest from Gabriella Gladney

Illinois prisons don’t allow physical mail. Mothers are pushing to restore access.

Members of the advocacy group MAMAS argue that handwritten letters matter, especially to people who have been incarcerated for years.

Gabriella Gladney · December 9, 2025
Rest and resistance are intertwined. Rosa Parks understood that.

In her later years, Parks practiced yoga as a way to support her body and mind — reflecting a broader lineage of Black women grounding their organizing in rest.

Gabriella Gladney · December 1, 2025
'We'll be here': Across three cities, communities step up as SNAP runs out

A mother of four in Detroit, a pastor serving LGBTQ+ congregants in Dallas and a food bank manager in Chicago share their fears — and resilience — as federal funds are set to expire.

Ebony JJ Curry, Gabriella Gladney, Lauren Nutall · October 31, 2025
Misty Copeland redefined what a ballerina looks like. What happens after she leaves?

After 25 years, the American Ballet Theatre’s first Black principal ballerina performs her last show on October 22.

Gabriella Gladney · October 21, 2025