Formerly the cultural critic at WNYC, where she was host of the podcast Come Through, and a critic-at-large for the Los Angeles Times, Rebecca is currently an editor-at-large for The Meteor, a new media collective. She is also the host of the Audible original, Billie Was a Black Woman, a companion podcast to the 2021 film, The United States Vs. Billie Holiday, and she is the creator and curator of the live event and audio series, In Love & Struggle, which shares the lives and experiences of Black women in America through monologues, stories, music, and humor. Rebecca’s writing has been published widely, and she’s the author of several books about race in America, including the award-winning Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America, as well as her recently published, critically-acclaimed memoir, Surviving the White Gaze, which has been optioned by MGM Studios and Killer Films with Rebecca attached to write and executive produce.

Additional Context on Racial Justice Expertise. The work I do reflects a racial reckoning that began not just at the start of my career, but at the start of my life. The Black transracial adoptee experience is a living microcosm of the foundational power dynamic between Black and white America. I am not likening transracial adoption to slavery — however, in essence, transracial adoption is a system wherein white people make choices and set the standards for Black people (children), and Black people (children and then adult children) must learn to navigate the repercussions of those choices and standards. The interrogation of this dynamic is the hallmark of my work.

Additional Context on Topics of Expertise

• how to write fully realized Black characters who navigate predominantly white spaces
• how to write and develop an authentic relationship between white parents and Black children
• how to write from the perspective of a Black transracial adoptee
• how to write about Black girlhood
• how to talk about anti-Black racism in a fully nuanced way
• how to be accountable for racism and evolve beyond it
• how to talk about Black hair
• how to depict friendships on screen between white women and Black women

Additional Context on Relevant Work & Awards

Additional Context on Consulting Services + Credits

• Acts of Crime, TV pilot written and developed by Sam Esmail for UCP
• Nocturne podcast, KCRW
• Untitled podcast series on Meek Mill for A.R.C. productions
• Outreach from the Center for Entertainment & Civic Health