Sasha-Ann Simons

She began her career as a journalist in television news 15 years ago and made the leap to public radio in 2015 at WXXI News, the NPR member station in Rochester, N.Y. While there, Sasha-Ann earned numerous awards. She was also a contributing reporter for PBS NewsHour.
Sasha-Ann joins us from Washington’s WAMU where she was a program host, regularly behind the mic on 1A, WAMU’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and the station’s local midday talk show, The Kojo Nnamdi Show. She was also a national reporter, focused on issues of race, identity and economic mobility. Sasha-Ann often brought that lens to the conversation when she served as an emcee or moderator at various events and panel discussions in the nation’s capital. In 2019, she earned a regional Edward R. Murrow award for her work, and in 2020, she won both a Dateline award from the Society of Professional Journalists and a Radio Feature award from the National Association of Black Journalists.
Sasha-Ann is a native of Kingston, Jamaica. She grew up in Toronto, where she studied journalism at Ryerson University. She obtained a master’s degree in television and film production from American University. When Sasha-Ann’s not on the air, she enjoys spending time with her family and exploring the many amazing restaurants across the city.
Stories by Sasha-Ann Simons
Chicago photographer Sandro Miller puts Black women’s hair on a pedestal in his new book
Sandro’s book of portraits comes as activists push for Congress to pass the CROWN Act, which would ban discrimination against natural hair.
Take a listen to Vocalo Radio’s new playlist for May
Vocalo Radio is out with its new “In Rotation” playlist for May, featuring 10 Chicago artists.
New book takes a closer look at social media, tech and racial justice
The authors of “Seen and Unseen” will stop by the American Writers Festival at the Chicago Cultural Center on May 15.
Film peels back layers to portray life on Chicago’s West Side
“Raised Up West Side” pushes aside labels and negative perceptions of the West Side of Chicago.
Sasheer Zamata brings the funny to Chicago in new cross-country tour
The former SNL star shares about her new TV shows and stand-up comedy special.
New studies examine Afro-Latinos and Latino discrimination in the U.S
The two reports found foreign-born, darker-skinned Latinos face just as much discrimination from other Latinos as they do from non-Latinos.
In a Chicago author’s first book, a determined little girl tries to win the bedtime battle
Clothilde Ewing wanted to write a children’s book where the main character was Black, but where the story does not center around race.
New book explores a year in the life of a Chicago ER doctor during COVID-19 pandemic
In “The Emergency,” Dr. Thomas Fisher captures insurmountable challenges as an attending physician of UChicago Medicine’s ER department.
Grammy award-winning jazz legend Dianne Reeves to perform at Chicago Symphony Center
Reeves returns to the stage for one night only on Friday.
The struggles and triumphs of 100 years of Black filmmaking
Wil Haygood’s book Colorization gives us both an unprecedented history of Black cinema and a perspective on racism in modern America.