This month’s Vinegar Hill magazine features a girl from Charlottesville who now runs a major American newspaper

This month’s Vinegar Hill magazine features a girl from Charlottesville who now runs a major American newspaper

Monica Richardson is the editor of a major American daily. She is a seasoned Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom manager. And she’s a kid from Charlottesville.

“I was that kid who made summer trips to Charlottesville to spend the summer with her grandparents, aunts and uncles,” she says. “When I come home, I’m not the editor of the Miami Herald. I’m Monica, you know, who grew up here.

Richardson got her start at the Culpeper Star-Exponent and the Charlottesville Observer, and later held positions at the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky and spent 15 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before becoming editor of the Miami Herald in January. 2021.

In June, I spent some time talking with Richardson about his journey. I’m not a Charlottesville kid, but I’m the editor of Charlottesville Tomorrow. I come from Los Angeles via Canada and have lived in a dozen cities. My career started in international news, then national news and public media and now I’m here, living and working in Richardson’s hometown. Our backgrounds have been different geographically, to say the least, but we share a base in the media that serves communities.

I’m proud that this Q&A is featured in the Summer 2022 edition of Vinegar Hill Magazine. Get the print version, read it online, or better yet, become a Vinegar Hill member for quarterly print editions. Also in this issue of the magazine, you’ll see Charlotte Rene Woods reporting on former Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney’s lawsuit against the city. There are stories about powerful black women in the arts and fashion, as well as an essay about a life marked by mass shootings and gun violence.

Vinegar Hill is one of our partners in Charlottesville Inclusive Media, and with the In My Humble Opinion radio program, we are working hard to create a media ecosystem for Central Virginia that is more reflective of our communities. We hope you support our three organizations as we strengthen our ability to deliver news and information online, in print and on air.

Amanda P. Whitten