About Us
What is USARiseUp?
In the summer of 2008, RiseUp, a weekly print publication, arrived on a crowded media stage, chock-a-block with dailies, weeklies and magazines. Its focus was race – a “beat” often overlooked by the mainstream press – and it promised to offer a fresh take on it. It appeared as an insert in 12 papers including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, among others.
Despite an overwhelming response and a circulation of 4 million, a few issues later, an economic downturn and reduced advertiser and investor spending forced it to disappear. A year (and many teardrops) later, in March 2009, it reappeared – as USARiseUp magazine.
USARiseUp, the digital offspring of RiseUp, is an online magazine about race and ethnicity that celebrates people of different cultures and color. Its physical home is located in the American heartland, in Kansas City, Missouri.
What is our mission?
Our mission is to provide a forum where everyone (and we mean, everyone) can engage in an ongoing conversation about race matters – topics they may not be comfortable chatting about in their office hallways, street corners, grocery-store isles and even their own living rooms.
We intend to do that through a wide range of in-depth and informative articles, spread over the three editorial departments:
- Lead Stories
- Features Sections
- The Blog Zone
Each month, our fully-downloadable, PDF-formatted EMagazine, will cover issues in the areas of business, cultural uniqueness, education, ethnic foodways, health and politics.
Every week, our stable of writers – who are strewn across the length and breadth of the country and belong to various ethnicities – will post blogs about topics not covered in our Webzine.
Why the name USARiseUp?
It is because we’d like to elevate our thinking about each other. Hence, we’ll always strive to be uplifting even when we’re addressing tough, sensitive and emotionally-charged subject matters.
Why USARiseUp now?
We, at USARiseUp, believe that if we have an ongoing opportunity to learn more about each other, we can gain a better understanding of our differences, find great comfort in what we have in common and build a strong foundation upon which we can bridge our divisions.
USARiseUp will not be a platform to champion the causes of one race or ethnic group over another. We will strive for balance and inclusiveness in all its content.
This is a magazine about us – all of us – and our need to better understand each other, to build better communities, cities, nations and ultimately, a better world.
We are not approaching this subject wearing rose-colored glasses. We are taking it on with an unswerving commitment to make things better.
We recognize we may make mistakes. But with your input we will get better and better in each publication.
We look forward to taking this journey together because we truly believe …
Together, we will RiseUp!
Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D.
Publisher & Executive Editor
Our Team
Janice S. Ellis: Publisher & Executive Editor
Janice S. Ellis brings a 30-year public and private sector career to the leadership of the magazine, including working as an executive in a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, a bi-state non-profit organization and a marketing firm. Her work has appeared in various professional and trade magazines. She’s been a newspaper columnist as well as a radio commentator. Dr. Ellis holds a Ph.D and two Master of Arts degrees from the University of Wisconsin.
Vice President, Business Development:
Christopher S. Ellis
Christopher S. Ellis has over 13 years of experience in marketing. He has worked in a variety of industries including Architectural/Engineering, Public Relations, High-Tech, Health Care and Small Business Development. Mr. Ellis has been the chief architect of the business plan which will guide and focus USARiseUp's success in the national and global marketplace.
Associate Editor:
Katherine Nussberger
Kathy joined our team in October 2009 after more than 15 years as a journalist in both Arizona and Idaho,and managing editor of two hardcopy newspapers in North Idaho. She was also the online editor for a website news source in the same region, which she later developed into a hardcopy publication for her local community. Kathy worked as a co-editor of a professional print and online newsletter that delved into the issues surrounding the struggling teens industry of private schools and programs throughout the world. In her spare time, Kathy continues to work as the regional director for a non-profit organizationthat strives to close the multicultural gap between our American youth and high school students from over 75 countries throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Central America, and several states from the former Soviet Union.
Art Director:
Carrie A. Maidment
As soon as she picked up a Crayola, she knew what her passion in life was! And throughout her schooling and career path, she has never swayed.From business cards to billboards, her design expertise includes logo designs and branding, magazines, brochures, newsletters, direct-mail and large-format trade show graphics. Colorful and uncluttered design is the common thread throughout her portfolio, and the design awards she has won are a testament to the widespread appeal ofher work. During "commercial art" breaks, she revisits her first love, the fine art of portrait drawing in pastels.
