Toronto, October 13, 2023: The Walrus is excited to welcome Makda Mulatu as the second recipient of the CIBC Digital Fellowship for Emerging Black Journalists. The fellowship was created in early 2022 with support from the CIBC Foundation, whose mission is to advance economic opportunities for all.
The Walrus thanks the CIBC Foundation for creating this digital fellowship exclusively for emerging journalists who are Black and significantly underrepresented in Canada’s media industry. This full-time, paid, twelve-month position offers budding professionals a unique digital journalism and production opportunity at one of Canada’s most trusted media organizations. The CIBC fellowship is the second career-building program at The Walrus designed specifically for Black media creators, and it is another step toward The Walrus’s commitment to creating a more inclusive media landscape in Canada.
“I am so thrilled to have been selected as the 2023 CIBC Digital Journalism Fellow! I look forward to expanding the scope of my storytelling capabilities, deepening my digital production knowledge, and growing as a journalist under the expert mentorship of the team at The Walrus.” —Makda Mulatu, CIBC Digital Fellow for Emerging Black Journalists, The Walrus.
This role will engage with and mentor Mulatu on the skills and tools required to develop, produce, and share stories across a variety of digital formats and channels, as well as connect her with departments across The Walrus to equip her for a successful career in media and the digital sector.
“On behalf of the CIBC Foundation, I’d like to congratulate Makda Mulatu on being selected to join The Walrus team as its new Digital Fellow,” said Ronan Ryan, Executive Director of the CIBC Foundation. “CIBC is committed to removing barriers that all too often stand in the way of success for members of the Black community. We’re proud to support this unique fellowship program and the ambitions of emerging Black journalists and look forward to watching Makda’s continued growth.”
Makda Mulatu is a writer and podcaster based in amiskwaciwâskahikan, or Edmonton, Alberta. Her poetry, interviews, and culture writing have appeared in publications like Contemporary Verse 2, filling Station, and This Magazine, among others. Since 2020, she has hosted and produced Glass Bookshop Radio, a literary podcast from Glass Bookshop that connects readers with some of the most exciting authors and publishers in Canada. These days, you can find her talking about her favourite books on CBC Edmonton’s Radio Active or teaching figure skating at her community rink.
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For more information, contact:
Monita Mohan, Marketing Manager, The Walrus, at monita@thewalrus.ca
About The Walrus
The Walrus provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canadians. As a registered charity, we publish independent, fact-based journalism in The Walrus and at thewalrus.ca; we produce national, ideas-focused events, including our flagship series The Walrus Talks; and we train emerging professionals in publishing and nonprofit management. The Walrus is invested in the idea that a healthy society relies on informed citizens.
About CIBC
CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 11 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Through the CIBC Foundation and the genuinely caring culture of Team CIBC, we are committed to helping people and our communities make their ambitions a reality. Learn more about our community impact. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at https://www.cibc.com/en/about-cibc/media-centre.html.
