In 2018, Nichelle Smith started researching 1619 and the story of the first enslaved Africans to land in the Virginia colony. She became fascinated by a woman named Angela, the only African woman listed by name in the colony's 1625 muster.  Four hundred years later, her resilience and survival is so remarkable that Angela was the subject of a recent archaeological dig at Historic Jamestown. Nichelle wanted to walk her path and tell her story. Little did she know that she  would have to go all the way to the interior of Angola to do it.

Two months after that reporting trip to Angola, Nichelle traveled to Lagos, Nigeria. Every face she saw mirrored her own. This inspired her to take the DNA tests and uncover her family's ancestors. Through telling Angela's story, she  found 'home' and was forever changed by this journey.

Nichelle Smith is the coordinating editor for USA TODAY’s Investigations team and leader of several award-winning race and diversity projects for Gannett and USA TODAY, including Civil Rights in America, Changing Face of America, the 1968 Project and most recently, 1619. She is also the editor of USA TODAY's annual Black History Month special edition, which was nominated for a Salute to Excellence Award in 2017 from the National Association of Black Journalists and won awards for writers in 2018.  

Before coming to USA TODAY more than a decade ago, she was features editor for Gannett News Service, a public affairs specialist for the Smithsonian Institution and a copy chief for Black Entertainment Television’s magazine division. Nichelle is a native of Gary, Ind., a graduate of Indiana University, and passionate about reading, travel, art, cooking, gardening and North African dance.