Sarah Maslin Nir is a staff reporter for the New York Times, covering Brooklyn. She is the author of Unvarnished, a 13 month investigation into the working conditions of manicurists in New York City. Her report prompted swift response from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and a new law aimed at making workplaces equitable and safer for manicurists. Sarah was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in recognition of her investigative journalism.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- Covering Brooklyn as it represents the world
- Sarah’s unintentional path to journalism
- Politics, fashion, hip-hop: How they intersect
- Distinction between Advocate and Journalist
- Telling stories through other people’s eyes
- Having a beer with a homeless guy
- Seeking fascination in everything
- Find the tip of the iceberg
- Challenges
- Sarah’s Unvarnished story
- Handling negativity
- Why you should be the BEST
- Advice to millennials
- The Old Girls’ Club
- Sarah’s good day
- Find a twinkle
- The pure joy of passionfruit soda
- Sarah’s favorite motivational quotes: From her father, “Let THEM say no first.” From MLK, Jr., “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
- From Sojourner Truth, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, then these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again. And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”