Shannon Chaffers covers the epidemic of gun violence in New York’s Black, immigrant, and under-resourced communities for The New York Amsterdam News’ Blacklight investigative unit. Prior to joining the Amsterdam News, Chaffers spent a year in Berlin, Germany as a Fulbright Young Professional Journalist. She reported on the history and legacy of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium while also interning at The Local Germany. Chaffers’ journalism career began in her hometown of Wellesley, Massachusetts, where she wrote for her high school newspaper, The Bradford. She then attended Princeton University, graduating in 2022. She majored in Sociology and minored in Journalism, African-American Studies, and German and also served as the Head Opinion Editor of The Daily Princetonian, the student newspaper. Away from journalism, Chaffers loves playing soccer and cheering on her favorite team, Arsenal FC.
Beat: Gun violence in Black and brown communities
This corps member helps us cover Black, immigrant and under-resourced communities in the New York region with respect to the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our community. They work within our Blacklight investigative unit on our new Beyond the Barrel of the Gun initiative. This groundbreaking project, the first of its kind at a legacy Black newspaper, seeks to explore the root causes of gun violence in Black and brown communities as well as the impact of this violence and what solutions are being put forth.