Bio

Malaika Jabali is the Senior News and Politics Editor at Essence Magazine. Her writing has appeared in Teen Vogue, The New Republic, Vox, The Root, The Intercept, and The Guardian where she was a columnist. Her writing on race and politics has led to appearances on NPR, BBC Radio, The Brian Lehrer Show, and a sit-down with Oscar-winning director Michael Moore on his Rumble podcast, among others.

Her debut political feature in Current Affairs Magazine, The Color of Economic Anxiety, was awarded the 2019 New York Association of Black Journalists Media Award for Newspaper/ Magazine feature.

A Columbia Law School graduate, Malaika was an Articles Editor for the Columbia Journal of Race & Law. A retired public policy attorney, Malaika wrote legislation and examined policy for the New York City Council for 7 years.

Prior to law school, she received her M.S. from the Columbia University School of Social Work, studying social welfare policy, criminal justice, and social enterprise. She won the Benjamin and Agnes Louard Scholarship for her academic achievement and leadership in the school’s African-American community. Malaika graduated with a B.A. in English and African-American Studies from Emory University, where she was the co-Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of the Black student magazine, Black Star.