It's been a good year for Streetsblog Los Angeles when it comes to receiving awards. In May, the City Council recognized Streetsblog Los Angeles for our service to the community on our 5th Birthday and the American Planning Association - Los Angeles Chapter awarded Sahra Sulaiman the "journalist of the year" and Streetsblog Los Angeles the "publication of the year" for publications of our size.
Over the weekend, we received word that three Streetsblog Los Angeles stories are finalists for awards from the Los Angeles Press Club 55th Annual SoCal Journalism Awards.
Our first two nominations are for works by Sulaiman.
In case you hadn't noticed, Sahra Sulaiman is also a pretty accomplished photographer. We had trouble deciding what pictures to submit from her work to the Press Club. We're happy to announce that "Observers of the Spectacle," is a finalist in the "photo essay" category. In this piece, Sulaiman decided to point the camera at the residents along the route of the July 2012 "Peace and Family Ride." The result is a photo essay that shows how many residents of South L.A. still feel trapped within their homes and property, sometimes literally behind bars, while a bike ride promoting peace and togetherness rolled right by their doorsteps.
Sulaiman is also up for an award in the "Best Personality Profile" for online journalism for her amazing three part series covering Fidel, a then-a 19 year old Business Administration student who began running with crews in elementary school. The series explores how even for a young man trying to live on the straight and narrow, early life decisions can have lasting impacts. The series also explores how the traditional view of a "Livable Street" can be forever altered when one has reason to be scared of going for a walk in his own community. Read the entire three part series, here: "It's a Small World," April 4, 2012, "Are You Ready to Rumble," April 27, 2012, and "Listening to the Streets," August 9, 2012.
Last is a nod to our editor, Damien Newton, for his piece "Don't Let MyFigueroa! Get Lost in the CRA Shuffle." Newton bullishly supported the project when it was originally announced, before the project team was even formed, in 2008. When it appeared the dissolution of the Community Redevelopment Agency endangered the project's future, he wrote a plea to the city and LADOT to not let the project fall through the cracks. According to CRA insiders, the article was a hot read in City Hall and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Less than a month later the city announced that LADOT would see the project through to completion.
Of course, award winning journalism isn't free, and we rely on your contributions to keep publishing a daily news website. If you haven't attended one of our fundraisers, or contributed to Streetsblog in 2013, please consider clicking on the button below and help support Newton, Sulaiman, and the rest of Streetsblog through this year and into the future.
P.S. - We'll have an update tomorrow on our "Santa Monica v Long Beach" fundraising challenge.
