Ernie Suggs facts for kids

Ernie Suggs was born on March 18, 1967. He is an American journalist who works for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper. He writes about important topics like race and culture. He also covers news about the Carter Center and former President Jimmy Carter.

Ernie Suggs helps manage AJC Sepia, which is a special part of the newspaper that shares news and stories about Black history and culture. He has written many articles about the civil rights movement and the challenges faced by historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Early Life and School

Ernie Suggs was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He finished Rocky Mount Senior High School in 1985.

In 1990, Suggs graduated from North Carolina Central University. He earned a degree in English Literature. While in college, he was the editor and sports editor for the school newspaper, The Campus Echo. He was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

In 2009, Ernie Suggs was chosen as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. This is a special program for experienced journalists to study and learn new things.

Journalism Career

Ernie Suggs joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1997. He writes about race and culture, and also covers big national news and investigative stories. He has been the newspaper's main reporter for civil rights issues. He has covered important activists like Coretta Scott King, Joseph E. Lowery, C. T. Vivian, Hosea Williams, and Andrew Young.

In 2014, he reported on the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of Michael Brown. He also writes about the Carter Center and former President Jimmy Carter. Since 2016, he has led the AJC's Black History Month project through AJC Sepia. This is the newspaper's website that focuses on Black news and history.

Before joining The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he worked for Gannett Newspapers in New York City. He also reported for The Herald-Sun in Durham, North Carolina. In 1996, he received a fellowship from the Education Writers Association. As part of this, he wrote a detailed report in 1997 called "Fighting to Survive: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Face the 21st Century." This report looked closely at the challenges and future of HBCUs.

Books and Awards

Ernie Suggs wrote a book called The Many Lives of Andrew Young. It was published in March 2022.

Awards and Honors

His 1997 report, "Fighting to Survive," earned Ernie Suggs several awards. He won the Journalist of the Year Award from the American Association of University Professors. He also received First Place for Investigative Reporting from the National Association of Black Journalists. Other awards included Journalist of the Year from the North Carolina Black Publishers Association and the North Carolina Press Association.

In 2018, Suggs and Eric Stirgus wrote another series of articles about HBCUs for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Ernie Suggs was a Harvard University Nieman Fellow in 2009. He is now a member of the Nieman Foundation's Board of Trustees. He also used to be the national vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. In 2013, he received a Pioneer Black Journalist Award from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists. He has also been a judge for the National Headliner Awards.