This Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. For many people, the federal holiday marks a day off work. For the staff and volunteers at the MLK Jr. Community Center in Newport, it’s a work day like every day: a day of service, embracing the advocacy and legacy of the slain civil rights leader. This year, the holiday arrives as the center continues work on a building expansion project to help meet the growing need for its programs.
Cheryl Hatch
Cheryl has worked as a photographer and reporter for newspapers, wire services and European press agencies. She is a multi-lingual storyteller and educator with years of global experience. As an international journalist, she covered the cost of conflict in the Middle East and Africa. She focused on witnessing and sharing the stories of those who are often caught in the crossfire. She also worked for community newspapers in Oregon, Florida and California.
After her international experiences, she founded a nonprofit, Women's Education Initiative. With her volunteer board members, she seeks to support and enrich the lives of women overseas through access to a college education in their homelands. Cheryl also developed journalism courses for higher education and a successful journalism conference and multimedia workshop.
Posted inArticle, Arts And Culture
In Middletown, a beach, a tree and some comfort and joy
A mysterious source of light during a difficult holiday season.
Posted inArticle
Commentary: The war is not over
For Middletown journalist Cheryl Hatch, 9/11 sparked a 20-year war in Afghanistan that would leave an indelible mark on her. She shares this essay.
Posted inEpisode
This I Believe New England – The Next Good Thing
In his novel A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway wrote “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Of course, all of us face daunting challenges in life. As we hear from Cheryl Hatch, sometimes, sometimes, trauma indeed can strengthen us. Cheryl Hatch is president of the Women’s Education Initiative, a nonprofit organization that offers funding for women who […]
Posted inArticle, Health
Honoring The Dead While Respecting Social Distancing
Five years ago, journalist and photographer Cheryl Hatch documented the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. Based on her experiences in West Africa, the Aquidneck Island resident has been reflecting on the ways in which the coronavirus pandemic has altered our daily lives and rituals—including one of our most sacred observances: funerals. She spoke with Kurt Edenbach, co-owner and funeral director of Memorial Funeral Homes in Newport and Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
