Sujata Dand is an award-winning journalist who is energized by change brought in communities in response to news stories. She lives in and has spent most of her reporting career in Dallas, with ample experience covering health care, education and public policy.
“I think it’s important to elevate voices that are often ignored,” Dand says. “For me, that means meeting the people in our communities. We need to see people and listen to them. It’s often a huge act of courage for people to openly share their lives. So, I feel an enormous responsibility in making sure my stories are authentic and fair.”
Dand worked at KERA for almost 10 years, where she produced several television documentaries, including “Life in the Balance: The Health Care Crisis in Texas” and “High School: The Best and the Rest.” She also headed the multimedia project “Boyfriends,” which examined the complex personal and cultural factors that contribute to the way adolescent girls form and maintain relationships. Her work has garnered several local Emmys and national awards including a Gracie for best reality program.
Prior to her work with KERA, Sujata was a reporter and anchor at the CBS affiliate in Wichita Falls, Texas. She has worked as a freelance reporter for NPR and Dallas Morning News. Dand is a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio.
Location:
Dallas, Texas
Areas of Expertise:
health care, education, public policy
Location Expertise:
Dallas, Texas
Official Title:
Senior Editor and Reporter
Email Address:
sujata@dallasfreepress.com
Linkedin Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujata-dand-51a7851/
Texas legislators are pushing for a charter amendment to move Dallas' local elections to November, which could lead to increased voter turnout and cost savings, but faces political hurdles.
Dallas County has implemented the Countywide Polling Place Program, which has increased voter convenience and reduced the number of poll workers needed, but voter turnout in the county has decreased since 2019.
The City of Dallas approved an $8 million grant for Forest Forward's restoration efforts of the historic Forest Theater Forest Forward.
South Dallas neighbors and Trustee Ed Turner's proposal to bring a career institute into South Dallas gains momentum.
Trinity Park Conservancy works on promises made to West Dallas neighbors as construction on the new park begins.
Meet the new principal of Dr. Elba and Domingo Garcia West Dallas School and review the changes in the school.
Dallas ISD's police chief works to manage the public safety of students by balancing security measures and a welcoming environment.
Neighbors say the temporary improvements fell short of long-term impact […]
Residents want to stop potential large industrial projects that could hinder the health of the community and environment.
The Mill City neighborhood is looking to hire two private police officers to patrol the neighborhood full-time and address gun violence.
Dallas ISD abandons private wireless network to focus on effective ways to provide internet access at home for students who don't have it.
Bonton Farms adds a wellness center to the community as an answer to revitalizing the South Dallas neighborhood, which will open in 2025.
Residents continue to maneuver through the Social Security system to access their funds, but still can't find solutions.
After nearly three decades since a bank branch opened, Vista Bank will enter South Dallas to help lift financial barriers for businesses.
South Dallas residents face hurdles in accessing social security benefits and struggle through a lengthy process with uncertain results.
Property tax consultant Toby Toler worked with more than 100 people over DCAD’s four-week protest period in April and May. He feels like the majority of the people he helped in Southern Dallas were able to successfully challenge their property values and lower their taxes.
H-E-B’s press release announced the new stores would be Joe V’s Smart Shop, which offers “a price-conscious shopping experience.” Both will be located in southern Dallas; the first store opening next summer at the corner of West Wheatland Road and Highway 67, and a second store opening in 2025 at the corner of Buckner and Samuell boulevards.
“Fair Park has a lot of historical significance,” Moore says as he describes the panoramic painting in the courtyard of the South Dallas Cultural Center. He chose to paint a chronological display of Fair Park’s role in promoting the understanding and awareness of Juneteenth.
The Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Museum recently reopened on Wendelkin Street in South Dallas. Honoring the legacy of Mrs. Kathlyn Joy Gilliam, the museum showcases the civil rights leader’s life story featuring original furnishings, photos, and artifacts in the home she lived in for 35 years.
Gipson Grocery store converted into a one-stop shop with many services aimed to strengthen its community members.
It wasn’t until Emmanuel Glover and Sarah Ashitey moved into Gilbert-emory that they learned their new house was in a historical African-American settlement.
Ferrell Fellows' business model is simple: She buys off-market properties in South Dallas in need of serious repairs then renovates these homes, preserving character and history. They become residences for first-time homebuyers, long-term rentals for people not ready to take that leap, and shared housing for people she comes across in her community work, everyone from single parents to immigrants to prostitutes.
Fellows believes everyone deserves a dignified way to live.
A task force on safe communities is spending $150,000 to help clean up nearly 600 vacant lots in Mill City, with the goal of cutting crime along with the grass in the neighborhood.
"We were meeting them in their homes, and we started seeing more people because they knew they wouldn’t have to come in," says Brother Bill's Helping Hand clinic director Ivan Esquivel, on the upsurge in mental health visits.
Already, 65,000 people in DFW are enrolled in Amazon’s SNAP delivery program, but the company found that people who live in “food deserts” weren’t using the service, so launched a new outreach program Jan. 1.
Southpoint is proving to be a miracle in this sparsely populated South Dallas neighborhood between Al Lipscomb and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards. Access to healthy, affordable food has been among the top concerns for residents here.
Highland Hills fresh foods grocery store, Save-U-More, struggles to stay open and widen the food desert gaps happening in South Dallas.
Dallas ISD invested in 40,000 hotspots last school year for families without reliable internet at home, but this year DISD plans to spend $18 million on at-home wired connections for its students.
MLK Food Park organizers say City of Dallas rules around food trucks encourage the kinds of fried delicacies that Dallasites can find en masse at the State Fair of Texas but discourage healthy options. That’s why they created a mobile food task force to examine Dallas’ food policies for special events.
New grocery store reflects Cornerstone church’s belief that ‘South Dallas deserves beautiful things’
A new neighborhood grocery store in South Dallas is part of Cornerstone Baptist Church's overall vision for a healthy community.
At 80, Anna Hill still tends the Dolphin Heights Community Garden next door to her home. A new 450-square-foot cottage on the garden site will give Hill much needed help, and give the gardener in residence an affordable house.
In an effort to address food insecurity in the community, Cornerstone Baptist Church is opening Southpoint Community Market, a neighborhood grocery store that will sell fresh and affordable food.
Jubilee Market in Waco has attracted the attention of city leaders from across Texas looking for innovative ways to provide affordable and nutritious foods in low-income neighborhoods. However, Jubilee may be a unicorn, because it relies on a leader who lives in the neighborhood, a strong base of supporters and a financial safety net.
Dallas ISD built a large cell tower on Lincoln High School’s campus to extend the existing WiFi signal to homes within a two-mile radius of the school so students and their families could access the internet for free.
Dallas ISD officials have a three-phase plan to give families free WiFi that could minimize the city’s digital divide.
A community survey showed that 45 percent of the people in the South Dallas zip codes of 75210 and 75215 don't have cars. Community leaders want to bring DART's GoLink service to the neighborhood.
South Dallas’ Lincoln High School could place an antenna on its roof and transmit broadband signals to household receivers. A student could then type a code into her laptop and sign on to the network from home.
Co-published by our media partner, KERA. Listen to the radio […]
