Cirien Saadeh, PhD

Journalism & Research Portfolio

United States

Dr. Cirien Saadeh (she/they) is an Arab-American journalist and educator who works at the intersections of journalism, social movement development, experiential education, and sustainability. She was trained as a community organizer by the former Organizing Apprenticeship Project (now Voices for Racial Justice). She has written for local, national, and international publications and is committed to using journalism as a tool in the pursuit of justice for all historically disenfranchised communities. Saadeh produces and hosts the Radical News Radio Hour and the new podcast, At the Intersections, and is the founder of the Journalism of Color Training Center. Saadeh previously served as the Executive Director for The UpTake - a community news organization - and currently works as Associate Faculty at Prescott College where she received her PhD in Sustainability Education in 2019. As part of her doctoral program, she developed a theory “Journalism of Color,” which asks, in short: how do we develop sustainable journalism platforms and spaces in historically-marginalized communities and how do we create journalism methodologies which build community power and resilience? Saadeh is currently conducting research at the intersections of journalism, social movements, and cooperative sustainability, as well as the applications of racial equity impact analyses to the practice of community journalism.

Portfolio
Colorlines
03/10/2021
Minneapolis and This Moment

Downtown Minneapolis is awash in new fencing Photo: Rico Morales "I feel hopeful in the people from this community in Minneapolis right now," said Kevin Reese, a Prison Justice Organizer with Voices for Racial Justice. I got a glimpse of what transformational community efforts looked like last year, during the uprising here.

Minnesota Women's Press
Women for Political Change: Equitable Restructuring

Women for Political Change (WFPC) aims to will build the political power of young women, trans, and nonbinary individuals. The statewide student chapters are made up of people who identify as queer, trans, disabled, and BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Color).

North News
05/16/2018
So Black, so green: juice and smoothie bar opens on Lowry - North News

"It's a partnership. For us, it was about covering the health and wellness component of the ecosystem. Healthy food is something that the community asked for, what better way to introduce healthy food than juice and smoothies," said New Rules President and CEO Chris Webley.

Opennews
12/11/2019
How We Flipped Media Literacy and Built Community Literacy Instead

In the Twin Cities we have no shortage of community media organizations, but we have also fought long and hard against many of our legacy media counterparts. Whether it was Pointergate or so many other injustices, we have struggled to feel that our stories as people of color, as low-income people, as renters, as members of the LGBTQIAP community, etc.

North News
07/31/2018
Vacant schools keep community waiting and wondering

There are four vacant MPS schools in North Minneapolis: Willard, Lincoln, Gordon, and Cooper. It costs $15K-$33K per year per school to maintain them when empty. Cirien Saadeh | Staff Reporter Willard School has been nearly empty for over a decade, but community members remember it differently.

North News
06/01/2018
Minnesota's "black threadist" brings her services to Broadway - North News

Cirien Saadeh | Staff Reporter Hair removal is something that many have to deal with but rarely is it pleasant. Waxing can be painful and shaving is often cumbersome. Facial threading, however, provides a safe and sometimes-nearly-almost-painless opportunity for hair removal. It is an art th

North News
10/07/2017
The Lowry Cafe looks to a new future with new owners - North News

By Cirien Saadeh | Staff Reporter After six years years, The Lowry Cafe has come under new ownership. The Cafe - which is located at the intersection of Lowry and Penn Ave. N - is now owned by investor James O'Neill and his business partners, but you might not even know it.

The UpTake
11/27/2017
Philando Castile's Death Inspires Black Economic Movement

ABEP The death of Philando Castile was a turning point for many Minnesotans, who were once again forced to face Minnesota's structural oppressions and deal with the aftermath of another death of a Black man by police hands. It was a turning point for Me'Lea Connelly, a former security firm manager and single mother who lives in Minneapolis.

North News
04/11/2019
Community coffee shop set to close - North News

By Cirien Saadeh Staff Reporter | Additional Reporting by Editor Kenzie O'Keefe McKinley neighborhood received a surprise announcement in March. One of the community's cornerstone gathering places, Serendripity Spot, decided not to renew its business license with the city. The fu

North News
01/18/2019
Wirth Co-op will not reopen

By Cirien Saadeh | Staff Reporter After ten months of "temporary" closure, leaders close to Wirth Co-op have confirmed that the store will not reopen. "The co-op has permanently closed," said Pat Paulson, who has been a co-op board member since shortly before the store opened in Oct. 2017.

North News
06/28/2018
With millions on the line, North Minneapolis looks to the riverfront

The 2018 Minnesota Legislature Bonding Bill included $15 million in matching grant funds for the redevelopment of the Upper Harbor Terminal (UHT). The City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board have been tasked with funding the remaining $15 million. With $30 million on the l

Twin Cities Daily Planet
07/28/2016
North Minneapolis takes back food systems, land through urban agriculture

North Minneapolis is one of the most marginalized communities in Minnesota, but it is also the site of community resistance and liberation movements around a whole assortment of issues. Reclaiming food systems is one way organizers and leaders are taking action. But access to fresh, healthy food is not the first priority, nor is it the end-goal. Transforming the community and its residents is the main goal of Northside food system organizers, who are using food as a tool to aid in that...

Twin Cities Daily Planet
05/23/2016
Glendale residents fight for homes amidst MPHA disorganization

Michelle Montbriand is not willing to sit back and lose her home. A former cook, a single mother of two, and a grandmother of four, she has turned herself into a community organizer as she and her neighbors take on the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) in a battle to save their community.