Rambo aims to continue the paper’s affinity for ‘honest, confrontational journalism’
Dear readers,
It is with immense gratitude I take the helm as the editor in chief of Street Roots.
Over the last several months, while I served as the inaugural Zuhl editing fellow and then interim editor, we have published much work in our pages that one would rarely find in another publication. Reporters and Street Roots newsroom staff work tirelessly to provide perspectives, experiences and plights all too often excluded from the spotlight afforded by news publications. This difference is nothing new. Anyone familiar with the work produced under the exceptional leadership of former executive editor Joanne Zuhl, who led the newspaper from 2002 until this summer, is aware of the publication’s penchant for honest, confrontational journalism that takes to heart the idea of comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.
I write today to reaffirm that commitment and provide a window to the future of Street Roots.
Like many of our readers, supporters, vendors and staff, I arrived in my current position through unconventional means. No one in my family is a journalist, nor a professor or corporate heir. I come from a long line of hard-working people who earned the meals on their tables and roofs over their heads without the benefit of generational wealth or passive income. I was living in a van and galvanizing steel when I enrolled in community college with the goal of writing for a living.
Much is fabricated about journalism being a calling rather than a career or trade. Still, the first time someone entrusted me with writing their life story, and the first time I found the facts didn’t match an official narrative, remain watershed moments in my life. I knew in those moments journalism was right for me. I forged my path through a series of systems that seemed designed to stop me — often working three jobs while going to school full time.
I eventually graduated with honors from Iowa State University, not long before starting as an intern at The Oregonian in 2020. Portland quickly became home, as other parts of Oregon had been for much of the decade before completing my education at Iowa State. Portland is a city that plays host to a number of high-profile conflicts and sensational narratives that hold national relevance, but it’s also a city of resilient, caring people. No publication captures the complexities like Street Roots.
Much like every new issue and success story from Street Roots, my path is the result of a collective effort. The support of family, friends, instructors and colleagues is paramount in my story. Going forward, Street Roots will continue bringing new voices to the table and prioritizing the experiences of those affected most by issues rather than those who can afford to complain the loudest. Street Roots will continue to eschew narratives that seek to present the inconvenience of the powerful as a counterpoint to the needs of people long suffering from marginalization.
As I guided the newspaper through the most substantial editorial transition in its history, I will guide it into a new era of growth and fearless truth-telling. This paper serves its vendors and readers above all else and will continue to. It is an honor to play a role in that service.
Sincerely,
K. Rambo
Editor in Chief
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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