Anna Oakes covers children and families for The Current. Before joining The Current, she was a freelance journalist and podcast producer covering immigration, housing, protests and free speech, and, occasionally, rat infestations around New York City. Anna has written for outlets including The Guardian, El Pais, Documented, The City Reporter, and Hell Gate. As a 2025 Reporting Fellow at the Pulitzer Center, she reported on the impacts of US immigration policy across Mexico’s northern and southern borders, including US veterans deported to Tijuana and Haitian asylum seekers stranded in Chiapas. Anna has produced and co-hosted podcasts for LWC Studios, Heritage Radio Network, and Radiotopia Presents, including the podcast “Bot Love,” listed as one of The Atlantic’s best podcasts of 2023. Anna is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia Journalism School.
Beat: Children & Families Reporter
The Child & Families Reporter focuses on how children in Lafayette live, learn, and thrive by connecting education and health. The role examines how local policy decisions, funding systems and community programs shape kids' well-being. Coverage spans from early childhood through high school, emphasizing access and outcomes. Key questions include: who gets quality childcare? How do housing, transportation, and health intersect with learning? What innovations are closing gaps, and where do systems fail?