Amber Payne
Amber Payne is Publisher and General Manager of The Emancipator, a multimedia publication created to reimagine the first abolitionist newspapers in the United States for a new day, with a focus on explaining and exploring solutions to racial inequality. Housed within Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, the digital publication amplifies critical voices, ideas, data, and debates around hastening racial justice. Amber was a 2021 Nieman fellow at Harvard University. She formerly served as managing editor of BET.com, overseeing the daily editorial output and leading digital video strategy. Prior to that, Amber was executive producer of Teen Vogue and Them. In 2015 she launched NBCBLK, a section of NBCNews.com dedicated to elevating the conversation around Black identity, social issues, and culture. Amber started her career at NBC Nightly News producing breaking news and feature stories. Raised in Southern Maryland, she is a graduate of the University of Virginia.