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And one of the things that happens is our stories don't get told. He’s one of the OGs of Black journalism, and he told me a long time ago, "Always put some of yourself in your writing." I always keep that in mind, but I believed in that long before that because I've always believed in our story. Bryan Burwell, he used to write for USA Today. Your voice in sports has always been an authentic one. My father left in second grade so watching my mother do what she did, become who she became, and stay rooted and stay so committed to us as Black folks and knowing what her educational path was, is why I wanted to go to Howard. And she has two Master's degrees from Howard. I went to Howard because my mom went there. I went to Xavier University-Black school, Black education. I just believe in Black education because I don't believe in those that treated us wrong are going to teach us right, and I’ve always felt that way. That was the first time I really realized that my writing can maybe or at least has the ability to move people. They were like, "You're in,” just based on the letter I wrote them on why I wanted to go. My letter of interest to Howard, according to them, was so real, they waved the GMAT. Applying to grad school, you have to write a letter of interest as to why you want to go there.
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I was working for the city at the time of the accident, so, I saved my money and was able to go to grad school. I thought that there was a reason I survived this accident and I wanted to find out what it was. I was also in a bad car accident and almost died. But we need to be on some black storytelling stuff, so we needed to have our own magazine. We would read Rolling Stone, NME, niche magazines out at the time, Sports Illustrated, of course. I knew in high school that I wanted to be involved in writing because my best friend and I always talked about having our own magazine. When did you know you wanted to write for a career? 16 years later, Scoop is still a regular ESPN contributor and also SportsCenter.Ī few weeks ago I sat down with Scoop to talk about high school recruits attending HBCUs versus traditional programs, the women that made him the journalist he is, and how we can uplift women in such a male-dominated industry. He’d help build SLAM to be the magazine we see today, and after eleven years there, was recruited by ESPN to bring his voice in basketball to sports at large. While writing for SLAM Magazine, he’d be the one to advocate for Allen Iverson to be featured in his early college days. Scoop’s work has opened doors not just for others to follow in his footsteps, but for more inclusive coverage, as well. “And that's a beautiful thing, to see brothers and sisters come in this game and feel that they don't have to compromise who they are in their own storytelling.” “The space has gotten a lot darker,” says Scoop. Throughout his 30-plus year writing career Scoop has maintained an authentic voice and an open heart, paving the way for those that look like him. Scoop was born and raised in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood and still resides there today. Robert 'Scoop' Jackson’s gift with writing and wide-ranging cultural vantage point has set him on a path not typically traveled by a journalist-such as writing two books for Nike.