We’re excited to announce that we’ve added Natalie Wallington to our reporting team. Wallington, who started Feb. 3, will write stories about housing and the idea of home.
She comes to us from the Kansas City Star. Previously, she worked for the Baltimore Times, a historically Black weekly in Baltimore. She later worked for Audubon Magazine and Popular Science and has freelanced for several outlets, including The Washington Post, the Guardian and VICE News. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a degree in political science and creative writing.
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In Kansas City, Wallington said, she discovered an interest in housing and utilities, but her role at the paper required covering a little bit of everything. “Here at MLK50, I’m looking forward to specializing in one subject area and building my investigative skills.”
As the housing reporter, she will write about renters and homeowners, housing quality and housing stock. She’ll have the opportunity to tell stories of displacement, whether through the lens of eviction, living unhoused, the lasting effects of segregation or migration. She believes, she said, that everyone deserves a home, and that doesn’t just mean a shelter from the elements.
“Being able to feel comfortable, safe and joyful in one’s living space is foundational to a sense of self and community,” Wallington said. “Moving to a brand-new city has made that very clear to me — and I hope that as I grow more comfortable in Memphis, I can help empower others to access that sense of home that we all deserve.”
Now that Memphis is her home, Wallington says she’s looking forward to finding and connecting with Memphis’ queer community to build new friendships and get involved with LGBTQ+ life in the city. “I’m also hoping to find crafting and hobby groups to join — from knitting to creative writing and everything in between.”
This story is brought to you byMLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.