Genoa Barrow [genoa.barrow(at)sacobserver.com] [events(at)sacobserver.com]
Senior Staff Writer & Calendar Of Events, THE OBSERVER Newspaper

As senior staff writer for THE OBSERVER, Genoa Barrow believes an educated public is an informed public. This philosophy drives her passion for reporting and writing articles that cover and concern the Black community in Sacramento.

Genoa Barrow

Barrow's byline has also appeared in Parent’s Monthly magazine, the Drum Voices Revue, and Uwearitwell.net, a Web site she created to address the needs and concerns of plus-sized people of color.

Barrow also acts as THE OBSERVER's Calendar of Events Coordinator and has made it a go-to-guide for readers.

Barrow is also the founder of We Read!, a community collaborative working to empower parents and caregivers to create an environment in which reading comprehension is considered to be vital to young people’s development as well as their own.

This award-winning journalist came to THE OBSERVER in 1999 after studying journalism at San Jose State University. There she served as executive editor of the Spartan Daily, the college newspaper.

Prior to that she was also editor-in-chief of the award-winning newspaper at Contra Costa College (San Pablo, Calif.), The Advocate. Barrow led the paper to rank among the nation's top 10 college publications. She also served as student president of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.

In March 2005, Barrow was honored by the International Association for Women of Color Day for “Caring and Responsive Journalism With Integrity.” Her efforts have also gained her recognition from the Associated Collegiate Press, the Bay Area Black Journalists Association, and the Call to Action Project.

Barrow, 31, is a native of Oakland, Calif. and lived in nearby Richmond for 12 years. She has one beautiful daughter, Syrai.

Her daughter has inspired her to explore an exciting new avenue in her career — writing children’s books.

Updated: 04.11.05