Brandi Kellam

🏆Emmy award-winning journalist and film director | ✍🏾: @ProPublica @CBSNews @MSNBC @Essence | 🎓: @UNC @NewhouseSU 🐘: #DST1913 ✉️: [email protected]

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

Uprooted won a regional Emmy last night!!! 🏆

It’s my second Emmy and first as a film director.‼️

THANK YOU!!! This past year has been incredible, and I’m grateful for it all! 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

Congrats to our team at @thevcij @WHRO and @propublica.

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

With budget increase the commission goes into its second year with
$228, 760.

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

📍Worth noting: In Newport News, concerns linger over a lack of transparency w/ a local task force reviewing @CNUcaptains role in displacing the Black community unofficially known as “Shoe Lane.” Though said to be in the works, no public meetings held yet, a year+ in

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

🗞️ New for @virginiamercury:

After operating on just $28K last year, Virginia’s commission probing Black community displacement by public universities got a big boost—$200K in new state funding.

These efforts are rare.

Link: https://t.co/WASp0pRPrS

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

3️⃣ Subcommittee recommendations are expected this fall ahead of the 2026 legislative session.

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

Here's where things stand:

1️⃣ Four subcommittees are underway—focusing on outreach, reparations research, displacement history, and coordination with public universities.

2️⃣ Nearly all 45 public higher-ed institutions in Virginia have been contacted

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

Exciting news!
Thrilled to share that I’ll be joining the 2025–2026 class of Spencer Fellows at Columbia University’s Journalism School as a non-residential fellow. I’m looking forward to expanding my investigative work alongside an incredible group of journalists and scholars.

[Columbia Journalism School @columbiajourn]

📚 Columbia Journalism School is proud to announce the 2025–2026 Spencer Education Journalism Fellows: Colette Coleman, Tara García Mathewson (@TaraGarciaM), Brandi Kellam (@brandkells) and Eleni Schirmer.

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

"Uprooted" uncovers a long-buried history of displacement, loss, and resistance. Through archives & firsthand accounts, it traces how a Black community in Newport News was uprooted for a university. These BTS moments show the people & stories that brought this history to light.

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

Join me in Newport News on March 20 for a special screening of my Emmy award-winning documentary Uprooted and a discussion on community displacement! I’ll be joined by two impacted community members and a historian for a powerful discussion! @HOMEofVA @CanHeadquarters

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

2/As far as I'm aware, there was not an invitation to participate.

Moreover, I remain deeply grateful for the impact of "Uprooted." As evident in my ongoing work, I’ve consistently contributed to discussions that seek to meaningfully address it and related subject matter.

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

Now, turning to another item of business:

1/During the task force’s update they were asked whether I was specifically contacted to inform their research. Since this was in a public forum, I'm sharing that I have sent a direct response to the council regarding those questions.

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

@tinalvick @propublica @VCIJ_Tweet @MLHarrisIII @curtisbethany3 @QuentinKidd 9/For more details on task force updates, and other questions asked, you can watch the full presentation on my YouTube channel here: https://t.co/DOZWNFdbPu

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

At several points yesterday,my name and reporting were mentioned in a public city council gathering. I've since addressed the council.I'll share a 24-hour update in the next thread.First, the latest from the Newport News task force examining the displacement of a Black community:

[Brandi Kellam @brandkells]

@tinalvick @propublica @VCIJ_Tweet @MLHarrisIII @curtisbethany3 8/@QuentinKidd, co-chair of the task force: We’ve never deviated from the goal of essentially telling the whole story and nothing but the whole story.