Georgia Fort Selected for 2025 Bush Fellowship: A Visionary Chapter for Black Media Leadership

June 3, 2025 — Today, Georgia Fort — award-winning journalist, founder of BLCK Press, and President of the Center for Broadcast Journalism — announced she has been selected as a 2025 Bush Fellow, a prestigious honor recognizing extraordinary leaders in Minnesota who are poised to make significant change.

In a heartfelt letter to supporters, Georgia reflected on her journey from dreaming of having her own show to now setting her sights on creating an entire media ecosystem that centers Black voices. “I didn’t dream big enough,” she wrote. “Because one show — no matter how many Emmys it wins — didn’t solve the systemic issues or bring forth the transformative change I know is possible.”

Georgia Fort holding the Emmys she and her team won for Season 1 of Here's the Truth With Georgia Fort.

The Bush Fellowship will provide Georgia with the resources and space to grow as a visionary leader. As part of this new chapter, she plans to pursue a business leadership certificate from Harvard University and develop a long-term strategy to scale the impact of BLCK Press and the Center for Broadcast Journalism (CBJ).

“This fellowship is not just about me,” Georgia emphasized. “It’s about our community, our stories, and the next generation of journalists who will change the face of media.”

Already, her work is bearing fruit. Georgia highlighted recent milestones from alumni of her nonprofit Center for Broadcast Journalism:

Jasmine McBride, the first reporter Georgia ever hired, is now Senior Editor at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and a 2025 Page One Award nominee.

Angeline Patrick Pacheco, a graduate of CBJ’s summer program, earned a full-ride scholarship to study journalism at the University of St. Thomas after participating in the ThreeSixty Journalism program.

Aaliyah Demry, one of CBJ’s first scholars, is now a TV reporter/anchor in Rochester, MN.

Selah Jacoway completed the CBJ summer program last year and already landed a job as a TV reporter in North Dakota at KVLY Valley News Live.

This summer, Georgia and her team are preparing to launch the 2025 CBJ Media Lab, where 10 young scholars will receive cameras, microphones, a $1,200 stipend, and the opportunity to host their own radio shows on Power 104.7 FM. “Not only will they get to leave with some great gear,” Georgia shared, “they will get paid to share their voices.”

Black Media on the Rise

In addition to her leadership in journalism education and media production, Georgia continues to challenge dominant narratives in the industry. Her recent essay, “Credibility of the Source,” featured in the new anthology Black Media in Minnesota, calls out the ethical gaps in mainstream journalism and uplifts the importance of culturally-rooted sourcing and storytelling.

“This is a time of great uncertainty,” Georgia concluded. “But I believe — deeply — that the best is yet to come.”

Georgia recently joined fellow Black Media in Minnesota contributors for a community conversation in Duluth, hosted by In Black Ink.