Meet Autumn Jemison, a Spring 2021 Lede New Orleans Fellow
Autumn Jemison will be doing community reporting work in New Orleans this spring as part of the Lede New Orleans fellowship program.
By Dariel Duarte
Autumn Jemison grew up in Nashville’s historic Woodland in Waverly neighborhood, a short, five-minute drive from downtown. Coming of age in a fast-growing Southern city, she saw Black and Brown residents repeatedly being pushed out of their homes in the name of progress. She was in 7th grade when her grandmother’s cottage home on Elliott Avenue was torn down in 2014. Builders crammed three new contemporary homes on the lot, a group of “tall, skinny white houses” that felt out of place in the historic area, Jemison said.
Today, it’s hard to find any part of Nashville that isn’t gentrified, Jemison said. Her family was the only Black family living on her street when she was growing up. She sees a similar trend happening in historically Black neighborhoods in New Orleans.
“They don’t realize they’re literally displacing history and removing homes and memories. They don’t care about that,” Jemison said.
Jemison is now studying film at Dillard University. She wants to use her craft to elevate the perspectives of marginalized communities and diversify the kinds of Black and Brown characters we see on screen. Characters of color are still overwhelmingly portrayed as very poor and facing extreme hardship, even though Black Americans have a range of experiences and backgrounds, Jemison said.
The U.S. claims to be the land of the free, “but not everybody’s free,” Jemison observed. Sharing diverse stories and perspectives is a way toward building an America where everyone is truly free to live and thrive, she said.
When not in class, Jemison enjoys meditating, writing and chatting on the phone with her mom, especially when she’s in need of a good pep talk. As a Lede New Orleans Fellow, she’s interested in learning about journalism and how to share information and stories in compelling ways.
Describe your experience growing up. How did it shape you?
I have two sisters, one older one and a little one. I’m the middle child. I definitely came from a middle class family. I feel like I came from a place of privilege because of my socioeconomic class. It helped me not only see the things in my life, but also how grateful I am to have the things I have. I know a lot of people don’t have that.
What are you passionate about?
Obviously film. That’s what I’m going to school for. And then I would definitely say fashion. I love accessorizing. I also really like writing.
What was your education experience like?
I bounced around from schools a lot. I went to four different schools growing up. I think it helped me become more open-minded. Since I’ve moved around so much it definitely made me experience different things with a lot of different people, and just learn how to interact with pretty much everybody.
What’s an issue on your mind right now?
College debt. It’s a very big issue and it needs to be addressed. I don’t have to worry about that as of right now. I’m still in college, but it’s kind of like, “Oh, dang. I’ve got two more years.”
What’s a pet peeve of yours?
One of my pet peeves is having to repeat myself. If I have to repeat myself more than twice I’m not gonna say it again. I don’t know why, but it just is. I have a lot of patience, but I have very little patience for that.
Dariel Duarte is a Spring 2021 Lede New Orleans Fellow. Duarte is a writer and videographer based in New Orleans. He graduated from Grace King High School in Metairie.
