Britt graduated from West Side High School in Gary, and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in film from Hampton University.

[1][3] In 1977, while studying for her master's degree at the University of Michigan,[4] Britt's 26-year-old older brother Darrell was shot and killed by two Gary, Indiana police officers under suspicious circumstances.

[5] Britt launched her journalism career at the Detroit Free Press in 1980 where she worked as a general assignment reporter, features writer and fashion columnist.

A former editor and film critic for USA Today, she joined The Washington Post in 1989, earning acclaim as an op-ed columnist and writing frequently about social, cultural and racial issues.

In 2012, Britt and Merida ranked seventh on the list of African American power couples compiled by HuffPost.