Sinclair Holian covers racial segregation and its lasting effects on Roanoke, Virginia, for The Roanoke Rambler. Before joining Report for America, Holian reported on injustices in her home state of North Carolina. Her work spans a range of issues, including racism in the agriculture industry, barriers to healthcare access, and challenges in public education. Her story, “Land Loss and Legacy on Historic Black-owned Farmland,” won Article of the Year at the 2024 Hearst National Writing Championship in San Francisco. Her reporting has appeared in publications across North Carolina, including The News & Observer, Indy Week, NC Newsline, and more. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2024 as the John Robert Bittner Outstanding Graduating Senior in Journalism, where her minor in social and economic justice fueled her commitment to revealing, in-depth reporting. When she’s not chasing a story, she loves long hikes, open water swimming, and exploring thrift shops.
Beat: Racial segregation and its lasting impacts
Roanoke has long been recognized as one of the most racially segregated cities in Virginia. The segregation reporter uses investigative and narrative journalism skills to focus on the lasting impacts of residential segregation in the city and how local government and business leaders are confronting, or not confronting, the societal ills it has wrought — from disparities in income, health, education, exposure to gun violence and more.