The driving force behind “My Group Chat,” NJ.com's first weekly newsletter and WhatsApp community for young (and young-ish!) people of color in New Jersey, was creating a special and trusted “safe space” where “we could be in community with each other, talk freely about race, culture and identity issues, and dish on all the ways what we see – or don’t – in mainstream media affects us.”
As a Latina in her 30s, journalist Daysi Calavia-Robertson, who pens “My Group Chat,” knows all too well that for many Millennials, especially those from minority communities, a group chat is more than just a place to share funny TikToks. “My Group Chat” became a place where its members can keep up with all that’s happening in the state and beyond. And most importantly, a place where they can be their full, most authentic selves and be celebrated for it – a refreshing change from what's true in many predominantly white spaces.
In the newsletter, written in a style that's conversational and warm, readers – who Calavia-Robertson refers to as her "besties" – are hit with all the hot topics and hot takes, politics, culture and entertainment news everyone's talking about. And on WhatsApp, which boasts about 300 highly engaged "chat" members (and counting), they're invited to discuss them in real time. Calavia-Robertson describes it this way: "We're talking about anything and everything, why DEI programs are more necessary than ever, memes trolling, or defending, J-LO's 'Spanish,' ... immigration, healthcare, and reality TV."
From its inception, “My Group Chat” writer Daysi Calavia-Robertson knew that for the project to be and feel truly authentic, it had to “sound” and look a certain way. That meant voice, tone, and subject matter, of course, but also, overall aesthetics. The newsletter had to stand out and shine in subscribers' inboxes – it had to be visually pleasing and have a fun, light, appeal that would make readers want to scroll through it in the same way they’d do with a message from a friend.
To achieve this, we incorporated interesting graphics like an iPhone screen displaying the trending video that was all over Calavia-Robertson’s “FYP” (For You Page) on social media that week. We broke the newsletter’s content into several easily digestible sections with titles like “what we’re chatting about this week,” “what we’re watching,” and “stories you don’t want to miss” – a section with suggestions for articles, podcasts, and even documentaries. We also included an interactive poll on a controversial topic and asked readers to weigh in via WhatsApp.
On WhatsApp, chat members see poll results and discuss their opinions with others in the group in real time. The feedback, in turn, has inspired Calavia-Robertson’s work in the newsletter but also often her work as a columnist covering diverse communities in New Jersey. The chatter on WhatsApp also led to monthly in-person meet-ups (planned and organized by Calavia-Robertson) where group members can hang out “in real life” and those gatherings usually take place at a POC-owned business.
Like any impactful project, “My Group Chat” has not flourished without obstacles. From the brainstorming stage to its launch date and beyond, there have been several hiccups. For starters, could an editorial initiative geared solely towards Millennials of color succeed? Would they be receptive to Calavia-Robertson’s unique writing style? And would the target audience want to be part of and build this special community with her or would they discard it as phony?
From the very beginning, she knew the project’s success would require her to “go out there and find my people.” In that sense, “recruiting” subscribers and group chat members was a challenge – a challenge Calavia-Robertson met head-on by talking about the project at a range of cultural community events, sending countless individual messages to people who were part of the project’s target demographic, creating fun content to promote it on social media, and posting about it often on the group’s Instagram account, @_mygroupchat. This dedicated community outreach is the fuel that keeps “My Group Chat” going — and growing.
In the year or so since we kicked off “My Group Chat” – the newsletter, the WhatsApp chat, and even the monthly in-person events – the initiative has met and, at times, surpassed our team’s objectives. Through this project, we have not only created a much-needed “safe space” for young people of color in New Jersey. We have created a bonafide community, a place where strangers living in different parts of the state have come together – both online and in physical spaces – and become friends. And what’s more, become family. The work has been recognized as a finalist for this year’s Online News Association awards, National Association of Black Journalists, and first place in the National Headliner Awards.
Through the newsletter, "My Group Chat" members have stayed informed about the most relevant news affecting minorities in New Jersey and across the country, they’ve discovered ways to become more civically and politically engaged, and they’ve learned about each other more in-depth through a section called “member spotlight.” And through the chat, they’ve helped, supported, and cheered each other through a long list of highs and lows. Chat members have helped each other find jobs after unexpected layoffs, chat members have navigated grief together after experiencing the unimaginable loss of loved ones. They’ve celebrated birthdays, baby showers, each other’s businesses, and even motivated and kept each other accountable through health and fitness journeys.
The amount of love, camaraderie, and genuine support found in “My Group Chat” is a larger and more profound win than we could’ve ever dreamed of. And for that reason alone it is a tremendous success in our eyes.
