Vann R. Newkirk II (born December 27, 1988) is an American journalist and staff writer for The Atlantic who writes on politics, the environment, race, and healthcare policy.
Newkirk was inspired to begin freelancing after the shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, and has been a staff writer for The Atlantic magazine since 2016.
[6][7] As of 2019[update], Newkirk was working on a longform podcast, exploring the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
[8] Newkirk has appeared as a guest on various media outlets, including The Daily Show and shows on NPR, and has been a host or keynote speaker at a number of conferences on race and identity at universities throughout the United States.
Newkirk also founded and is a contributing editor to Seven Scribes, a website dedicated to promoting writers and artists of color.