VICE - Investigating Modern Day Slavery In the Deep South

(3.5 Million Views)

With over 3.4 million views for Vice Media, Akil Gibbons hosts and produces this story on “The Slavery Detective of the South” meeting genealogist Antoinette Harrell, who tracks down cases of modern-day slavery and abusive labor practices. We talk to a man - Arthur Wall - whose family was held on a plantation against their will into the 1960s, and Antoinette explains how she uses decades-old records to uncover how slavery was perpetuated long after the Civil War ended into modern day.

Role: VICE Reporter

With over 3.6 million views on VICE’s Facebook - Akil reports on Rakem Balogun, an outspoken black activist in Dallas, who is considered the first person to be targeted by the FBI as a “Black Identity Extremist”. After being detained for nearly 6 months on weapons charges, VICE’s Akil Gibbons met up with Rakem on the day he was released from prison to learn more about the events leading to his arrest and real-world repercussions of the new “Black Identity Extremist” label.