Women’s Media Center states that “men still dominate media across all platforms…women are not equal partners in sourcing and interpreting what and who is important in the story.” This can be seen in the following statistics that were a part of the 2017 Status of Women in the U.S. Media report:

• Female radio directors rose to 33.1% in 2015, a roughly 2 percentage point increase from 2014.
• Women radio staffers, overall, made up 44.2% of the media workforce, up from 42.3% in 2014.
• Of the top 100-rated radio talk shows, 87 were hosted by men, 13 by women.
• 13 women were among Talker’s “Heavy Hundred” of news and opinion radio hosts in 2016, one more female host than in 2015. That number has dropped down to 9, as of 2017.

Karlie Hustle can be included in some of the above numbers, as she’s spent close to 20 years building her career in the music industry and working in radio, on and off the air. Her most notable moments of working in media are being the Music Programming Director of one of New York’s top stations, Hot 97, Director of Brand Relations for Jamla Records, and currently the Music Manager with worldwide radio station, Beats 1 on Apple Music. In the middle of championing for women and making sure that we’re seen, she’s also shown us her entrepreneurial efforts with the Hustle Bow Tie Collection.

To everyone who doubts that women can be accomplished AND have a family, Karlie is the perfect example that it can be done. One look at her with her fiancée and magnificent daughter, speaks volumes about personal life not needing to be put on hold if you’re a woman still climbing the proverbial ladder. Karlie’s “passion for articulating the human condition against the backdrop of pop culture” is expressed in her Brutally Honest podcast. With her vast knowledge of the music and radio industry, musings on parenting and motherhood, and well thought out opinions about the culture and life, Karlie has created a platform that embraces her frank, direct approach to pretty much everything.

Even though men continue to reign over media, Karlie consistently does her part to be a recognizable female voice that determines what and who is important. This makes her an extraordinary woman contributing to the history of women in the media.

To keep up with Karlie’s hustle and flow, she can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and her website.

To get a glimpse of her brutally honest truths, check out her favorite episode, Numbers Lie, on her podcast:

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS/PITCHES:

April is Stress Awareness Month and we want to hear your best ways of dealing with stressors, any precautionary tales of how they can affect the body, what your self-care looks like, and/or anything else related to acknowledging that stress is real and necessary to manage.

April is ALSO Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In light of recent events with sexual assault in the entertainment workplace being brought to the forefront and fully addressed, we want to address this issue taking place everywhere. We’re accepting personal narrative, essays, poetry, prose, and any other form of writing that gets your point across about sexual assault. Because of the nature of the topic, we are willing to publish Anonymous pieces. We are accepting submissions and pitches from EVERYONE. We mention this because men and non-binary people have just as poignant voices and stories to tell about their own experiences but sometimes shy away from sharing due to toxic perceptions that hand out shame versus compassion. Our platform is a safe space for everyone so feel free to submit/pitch.

Please send all pitches/submissions to submissions@theextraordinarynegroes.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!