Jemele Hill is a true gem and the epitome of unbossed and unbothered.
The Emmy award-winning journalist hosted her book release party in Inglewood, a few days ahead of the official Oct 25th release date.
Uphill: A Memoir, traces the former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor’s journey to success from the turbulent City of Detroit, to a well-known and respected Journalist.
Read More: https://thegrio.com/2021/11/26/inglewoods-1010-wine-events-interview-inglewood/
The book release party was held the evening of Oct. 22 at 1010 Wine, an upscale Black-owned wine bar, opened by two African-American sisters.
“I think of life as a kid and not being able to see life outside some of the traumatic circumstances I was in. Nevertheless, the people around me even as they were going through their own trauma, never let me use them, or their circumstances, as an excuse to not better myself or to put myself in a certain position to win,” Hill said during the event. “Even if they didn’t know exactly how to help me win.”
In 2017, Hill found herself embroiled in extreme controversy and almost losing her job, after tweeting that former President Donald Trump was a white supremacist.
Trump supporters and even the White House would call for Hill to be terminated from ESPN.
She would also receive death threats from extremists.
A year following her remarks, (which included a two week suspension for her tweets) Hill would make her official exit from ESPN after 12 years.
Hill would ink a deal with Spotify, where she has hosted the Jemele is Unbothered podcast for the last four seasons.
Hill recently announced that through her partnership with Spotify, two new shows have been added to her network hosted by Black women.
The new podcast network is Hill’s commitment to elevating and centering Black women.
Read More: Jemele Hill Expands ‘Unbothered Network‘ on Spotify With Two New Podcasts
During her book release, Hill shared some advice she would give to young, Black Journalist on navigating the corporate media landscape.
“You need to be very clear about who you are before you walk into any door. Before you go work for any big corporation, or any small business it doesn’t matter. Have a very firm sense of your identity and your boundaries,” Hill shared.
She attributes her strong sense of identity, to her ability to manage the turmoil that ensued at ESPN, and landing in a space where she controls and navigates her own narrative and destiny.
“What you don’t want to happen is the place you work at, change who you are as a person. Growth is one thing. Change is another.”
Jemele Hill
Hill’s book release party was attended by her friends, manager, and family members.
Political commentator Angela Rye was also in attendance.
Hip-Hop journalist and Rap Radar Founder Elliot Wilson and his wife, Journalist Danyel Smith, also showed support for hill
