Sofiya Abena Ballin

Sofiya Abena Ballin is a Caribbean-American writer, journalist, and producer. In each city on Moonchild's Starfruit Tour, Ballin will be onstage and interviewing extraordinary members of the communities they visit, people who are dedicating their lives to making a positive impact on others and bettering the world around them. Ballin spent 3 years in one of the country's top newsrooms covering everything from arts, culture, and identity in Philadelphia. Ballin has covered Ferguson protests in the city, interviewed celebrities, politicians, and thought leaders. She has written for Huffington Post, Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Guardian, Okayplayer, OkayAfrica, Essence and FADER. She has produced for the New York Times, The Brooklyn Nets, The ACLU and Aerie. Ballin is also the creator of the award-winning Black History Untold project. An identity series that explores the importance of a comprehensive Black history through powerful and personal interviews. The project has profiled more than 200 Black people and works as a new and innovative way to collect and preserve this history. She made the bold move to leave her reporter job to produce the project independently. Without the same resources, Ballin the project has grown into a film series. She has become a testament to the power of Black media makers taking control. “All my life, I’ve learned that there were stories untold and that not every legend is etched into stone, my goal is to tell their stories.”