Isabelle Taft covers Vietnamese and African-American communities for the Sun-Herald in Biloxi, Mississippi. Before joining Report for America, Taft worked as a researcher on Washington Post journalists’ book projects on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle and President Trump’s impeachment. Before that, she worked in Hanoi, Vietnam, as a copy editor at Viet Nam News and a freelance journalist, reporting for publications including Politico Magazine and the Christian Science Monitor. She has also reported for The Texas Tribune. Taft was born and raised in Atlanta and majored in history at Yale University, where she graduated magna cum laude and co-edited a magazine of narrative nonfiction, The New Journal. Her reporting on women and reentry from prison in New Haven won the National Council on Crime & Delinquency Youth Media award.
Beat: Vietnamese and African American neighborhoods
This Reporter covers a beat focusing on diverse communities, with a particular emphasis on the local Vietnamese population. So many Vietnamese immigrants came to the Coast for our seafood industry. This Reporter tackles stories on race relations, environmental issues connected to the seafood industry and communication with loved ones far away. A Reporter who speaks Vietnamese would be essential to building trust and reporting on stories we haven't been able to adequately tell. This corps Reporter also helps us build bridges and tackle big-picture issues in our African-American and Hispanic communities.