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Esther Dillard is a two-time Gracie Award–winning journalist, storyteller, and media educator whose work explores the powerful intersection of history, identity, education, and social impact. She currently reports for iHeartMedia’s Black Information Network (BIN) — a 24-hour national news service dedicated to covering stories that affect Black communities across the United States.
Esther received her first Gracie Award in 2024 for her investigative news feature “Black, Autistic and Safe,” a deeply reported story examining how Black families with autistic children navigate encounters with law enforcement. She also received a second Gracie Award in 2025 for her powerful audio feature highlighting Daughters Beyond Incarceration, an organization helping young girls maintain meaningful relationships with incarcerated parents.
With more than two decades of experience in journalism, Esther has built a career centered on elevating voices and stories that are often overlooked in traditional media.
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Creator of The Color Between the Lines
In addition to her reporting, Esther Dillard is the creator and host of The Color Between the Lines — a storytelling platform and podcast that explores the ideas, history, and lived experiences shaping today’s cultural and social conversations.
Through in-depth interviews with authors, historians, educators, and thought leaders, the program examines how storytelling can deepen public understanding of issues ranging from education and public policy to Black history and community leadership.
The Color Between the Lines podcast is currently distributed through the Alive Podcast Network, reaching audiences across major podcast platforms as well as Roku television and other streaming outlets.
Creator of the ERASED Historical Storytelling Series
Esther is also the creator of ERASED, an original multimedia storytelling series that explores pivotal historical figures and events whose contributions were overlooked, minimized, or nearly forgotten in mainstream historical narratives.
The series combines investigative journalism, documentary storytelling, and historical research to re-examine stories that reshape how audiences understand American history. Episodes explore figures such as Elizabeth Jennings, the Black New Yorker whose 1854 streetcar case helped lay groundwork for the civil rights movement, and other individuals whose actions quietly transformed the course of history.
The ERASED series has expanded into a growing multimedia project that includes audio storytelling, visual media, and educational resources, and is now featured through Amplified Voices Television, bringing these historical narratives to broader streaming audiences.
Through this work, Esther aims to create storytelling experiences that help educators, students, and communities reconnect with powerful historical moments that still shape our society today.
A Career Across Major Media Markets
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Esther Dillard’s journalism career has taken her across several major American media markets. She has worked as a reporter and anchor for respected broadcast outlets including:
Across these roles, Esther developed a reputation for thoughtful reporting that blends investigative journalism with human-centered storytelling.
Her work consistently focuses on helping audiences understand the broader social context behind major issues — from education and public health to civil rights and community advocacy.
Journalism Educator and Mentor
Esther’s commitment to storytelling extends beyond the newsroom. She previously served as a communications professor at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where she taught courses including:
In the classroom, Esther helped prepare students for careers in modern media by combining traditional journalistic ethics with emerging storytelling technologies.
Partnerships, Speaking, and Storytelling Initiatives
Today, Esther continues to expand her storytelling work across radio, podcasting, streaming television, and digital media platforms.
Her projects — including The Color Between the Lines and the ERASED storytelling series — create opportunities for collaboration with educators, cultural institutions, nonprofits, and corporate partners interested in supporting impactful storytelling and educational media.
Through these initiatives, Esther works with partners to develop programming that informs audiences, sparks dialogue, and preserves stories that might otherwise remain hidden.
Media & Collaboration Opportunities
Esther Dillard welcomes opportunities to collaborate with media organizations, educational institutions, cultural organizations, and mission-driven brands interested in supporting thoughtful journalism and storytelling.
Through her work with her podcast The Color Between the Lines, and the development of her historical storytelling series ERASED, Esther is exploring ways to expand impactful storytelling across radio, podcasting, streaming platforms, and educational media.
Mission
At the heart of Esther Dillard’s work is a simple belief:
Stories shape how we understand the world.
Through journalism, historical storytelling, and media education, she is committed to uncovering the narratives that help communities better understand their past, engage with the present, and imagine new possibilities for the future.