The Portland chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association honored nine professional and student journalists May 22.

AAJA Portland recognized outstanding journalism published during 2024 about issues that, through discrimination or structural inequity, disproportionately affect people of color or other under-resourced groups in Oregon and/or southwest Washington. 

Winners received $250 and a certificate.

The awards ceremony was held at Libre in Southeast Portland.

Members of AAJA’s Washington, D.C., chapter judged this year’s competition. Here are their selections:

Arts, Food and Culture

Winner, professional: Paul Marshall II, Influential Portland band Pleasure headlines Oregon Juneteenth Festival, published by OPB.

Judges’ comments: Offers comprehensive reporting on an influential band’s return, delving deeply into its history and its impact on audiences and the global music market. Audio is a good presentation with music samples that add to experience. 

Honorable mention, professional: Michael Russell, Portland’s first Somali coffee shop rises Above GRND, published by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Judges’ comments: Beautiful writing! The description of the venue is captivating and avoids exoticizing a business owned by underrepresented individuals. Instead, it delves deeply into the family’s journey of perseverance and the second generation’s ambition to succeed by building their careers while celebrating their heritage.

Politics

Winner, professional: Amanda Waldroupe, Efforts to ban books in Oregon libraries are on the rise; library patrons and supporters are pushing back, published by Oregon ArtsWatch.

Judges’ comments: Provides a comprehensive and nuanced account of the local book ban battle. It also effectively ties the issue to the broader national context, elevating the significance of the piece. The report features extensive interviews with diverse stakeholders, painting a complete picture. The inclusion of data graphics and photos adds further depth.  

Environment, Health and Science

Winner, student: Kimberly Cortez, Black Futures Farm addresses gaps in Portland’s food systems, published by Street Roots.

Judges’ comments: Clearly demonstrates the lack of diversity among farmers (and their products) in Oregon. It localizes an issue with context from the state’s past as well as pointing to a need to diversify food sources and re-imagine paths to Black generational wealth.

Education

Winner, professional: Sami Edge and Julia Silverman, College Conundrum series, published by The Oregonian/OregonLive

Judges’ comments: The series vividly illustrates the data on the decline in higher education enrollment. The reporting is solid with strong analysis, expert input and intriguing anecdotes. The first piece in the series is well-paced with a compelling central character that draws your interest in reading more.

Sports

Honorable mention, student: Mo Damtew, Portland girls basketball players say they feel unsupported, published by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Judges’ comments: Nice reporting on the general neglect of Portland girls’ basketball games with possible solutions outlined. It aligns well with the judging criteria of covering structural inequality of local issues. 

Asian American Pacific Islander issues

Winner, professional: Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka, We Contain Multitudes, published by Oregon Humanities.

Judges’ comments: Strong writing on an important and underreported issue. The first-person perspective humanized the piece. We also appreciated the nods to non-AAPI communities that have suffered from past adoption practices.

Winner, student: Riya Sharma, This night market goes where Oregon’s Asian population is: Washington County, published by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Judges’ comments: This piece provides impressive and comprehensive reporting and goes far beyond an event story, offering a full picture of Washington County’s AAPI population while highlighting specific subjects, such as Kyikyi. The writing is highly professional. The photos and interactive elements are well placed, appearing just as the audience might wonder about visualization. Excellent work providing context and including a diversity of sources.