About

jonetta rose barras found her voice, experiencing life as a poet, fiction writer, performing artist, and community organizer. Along the way she became a magazine feature writer, investigative reporter,

contextual journalist, public scholar and cultural curator, researching and presenting programs that presenting programs that tell important stories about Blacks in America. She has received numerous awards forShe has r national and local awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity Washington University and    being inducted into the Society of Professional Journalism, Pro Chapter Hall of Fame. 

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She is also the founding president of Esther Productions Inc., a nonprofit organization that using the arts, especially literature to inspire and empower girls and women.

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jonetta is dedicated to living her life with compassion, passion and without training wheels.

 

                              

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jonetta rose barras

P.O.BOX 32130
Washington, D.C. 20007
jonetta@jonettarosebarras.com | 202-640-0301

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President/CEO Esther Productions Inc.

Estherproductionsinc.com

estherproductionsinc@gmail.com

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CURRICULUM VITAE

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RESEARCH & SCHOLARLY INTERESTS

• African American literary history

• Black political leadership and governance

• Washington, D.C. cultural and civic history

• African American children’s literature

• Gender, family structure, and intergenerational identity

• Public humanities and community-based scholarship

• Literature as civic and political intervention

 

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Author, journalist, poet, and public humanities practitioner with more than forty years of experience interpreting African American political, literary, and cultural life. My scholarship integrates archival research, narrative analysis, oral history, and civic engagement. I have authored works of political history and social analysis; curated humanities-centered exhibitions and literary programs; and produced investigative journalism exploring structural inequity in education, health, and governance.

My work bridges academic inquiry and public discourse, advancing the humanities as both scholarly discipline and civic practice.

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BOOKS

Leaving Mexico Street: Essays, Poems and Wanderings. Anticipated Spring 2028.

 

The Last of the Black Emperors: The Hollow Comeback of Marion Barry in the New Age of Black Leaders. Bancroft Press, 1998. A political history examining African American leadership, governance, and power in Washington, D.C., situated within broader national shifts in Black political identity.

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Whatever Happened to Daddy’s Little Girl? The Impact of Fatherlessness on African American Women. One World Ballantine, 2000; paperback 2002. A social analysis integrating cultural critique, gender studies, and narrative inquiry.

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Bridges: Reuniting Daughters and Daddies. Bancroft Press, 2005.
A reflective work on reconciliation, intergenerational identity, and family dynamics.

 

The Corner Is No Place for Hiding. Poetry collection. Bunny and the Crocodile Press 1996.

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Dawn. Poetry Collection. Charisma Productions Inc. 1976

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PEER-RECOGNIZED LITERARY PUBLICATIONS

Contributor to major anthologies including:

• Sisterfire: Black Womanist Fiction and Poetry

• It’s All Love: Black Writers on Soul Mates, Family and Friends

• Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington, D.C.

• In Search of Color Everywhere

• The Men We Cherish

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Published in literary journals including Callaloo, Obsidian, and other national publications.

 

HUMANITIES PROJECTS & CURATORIAL WORK

MidnightRose: A Reading Series of Poetry and Prose

Tenley-Friendship Public Library, Washington, D.C. (2024–present)
Founder and Curator. Designed an ongoing public literary series highlighting writers of color across generations. Integrates scholarship, performance, and moderated dialogue to situate contemporary literary production and historical traditions.

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The Poetry & Folklore of Sterling A. Brown: An Examination and Celebration of a Cultural Legend

Trinity Washington University (2025). Curator and Lead Researcher. Developed a multidisciplinary humanities program examining Brown’s literary, folkloric, and pedagogical contributions to American letters.

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African Americans and Children’s Literature: A Historical Examination of the Role of DC Writers from 1970 to the Present. Trinity Washington University (2024) Researched and presented a humanities-centered analysis of African American authors’ contributions to children’s literature, situating literary production within post–civil rights political and cultural transformations in Washington, D.C.

 

PUBLIC HUMANITIES & EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES

Founder & President/CEO. Esther Productions, Inc. (2005–Present)

Founded and lead a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing arts, literary, and humanities programming for women and girls. Designed:

• Creative writing institutes

• Literary history symposia

• Public exhibitions

• Community-based reading initiatives

Raised $300,000 in philanthropic funding since its founding to support arts and humanities programming.

 

Founder The Institute for the Preservation and Study of African American Writing, Inc.

Established to promote preservation, study, and public dissemination of African American literary works.

Curriculum Development.

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Developed humanities-based instructional materials for elementary educators and students through the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, integrating literature, history, and arts education.

 

JOURNALISM AS PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP

Political columnist and long-form writer (1994–present), examining governance, race, democracy, and institutional accountability.

Published in:

• The Washington Post

• The DC Line

• Washington City Paper

• The Washington Examiner

• Essence

While journalistic in form, this body of work functions as sustained civic analysis of political culture and structural inequity.

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FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS

Fellow, Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, University of Southern California (2018–2019)
Produced a four-part investigative series examining the relationship between trauma and educational outcomes among DC Public School students.

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Investigative Reporting Grants, Spotlight DC (2020, 2022)
Supported research into child welfare systems, healthcare disparities, and public education inequities.

 

BROADCAST & PUBLIC DISCOURSE

Political Analyst & Co-Host,  Politics Hour with Kojo & jonetta, WAMU 88.5 FM (2002–2008)
Provided sustained public analysis of local and national governance, including presidential elections.

 

Executive Producer & Host, The Barras Report (2017–2020)
Public affairs programming examining civic leadership, culture, and public policy on the University of the District of Columbia Cable Television Station.

 

Host, WPFW-FM, The Barras Report  (2001–2003; 2009–2011)

 

HONORS & AWARDS

• First Place, Column & Opinion Writing (2021, 2022, 2023) — Society of Professional Journalists

• Investigative Reporting Grants (2020, 2022) — Spotlight DC

• Inductee, SPJ DC Pro Chapter Hall of Fame (2016)

• Honorary Doctor of Letters, Trinity Washington University (2008)

• Named among Washington’s 50 Most Influential Journalists — Washingtonian Magazine (2001)

 

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING EXPERIENCE

Trained in the Saul Alinsky model of community organizing. Worked in multiple states supporting residents in engaging elected officials and public institutions to effect policy reform and administrative accountability.

 

EDUCATION

Trinity Washington University
B.A., Communications, 1996

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