The Sacramento Bee welcomes a distinctive new columnist to its editorial board | Opinion

We are delighted that LeBron Antonio Hill joins The Sacramento Bee Editorial board today as a columnist and editorial writer. A thoughtful and compassionate writer, Hill is a native of the great state of Tennessee, where he established himself as a distinctive voice during the last five years as an opinion journalist.

Hill, 29, was most recently the editor of the opinion page at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. There, he wrote eloquently about the dichotomy of a Tennessee governor who increases funding for public education but plays politics with the curriculum. He has demonstrated the instincts of an investigative reporter by writing critically about a publicly financed ballpark in Chattanooga. One of his most notable pieces came with this headline: “We can’t denounce white supremacy only when it surfaces.” He’s also celebrated Tennessee’s national parks and has written about Taylor Swift and TikTok.

Opinion

Hill will work alongside Bee opinion writers Robin Epley, Tom Philp and our op-ed editor, Hannah Holzer. He will also be a part of McClatchy’s California Opinion team, which includes Tad Weber, opinion editor of The Fresno Bee and Stephanie Finucane, opinion editor of the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hill’s byline will also appear in the Merced Sun-Star and Modesto Bee.

“We’re thrilled LeBron is joining our talented Sacramento opinion team,” said Peter St. Onge, national opinion editor at McClatchy. “He’ll bring another powerful voice and thoughtful perspective to the urgent, local opinion journalism Bee readers get each week.”

Hill began his career in 2019 as a columnist and editor with the Nashville Tennessean. He was also the lead curator of Black Tennessee Voices, an initiative to reflect Nashville’s Black community in the pages of the Tennessean.

“I’m super excited that my career has taken me to Sacramento,” Hill said. “When I graduated from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2019, The Bee was the first place I applied. I didn’t get the job, but it’s fulfilling to have a full circle moment now by getting to work on such a great paper.”

Hill has been an opinion editor at the Memphis Commercial Appeal and a contributor for USA Today. He has won writing awards from the Tennessee Press Association and the Online News Association.

“I’ve given my perspective on many issues that have come through Tennessee, from the police killing of Memphian Tyre Nichols to the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville where three adults and three children were murdered. Those devastating tragedies sparked a fire in Tennesseans across the state to seek change, and I was lucky enough to capture that desire in my writing.”

Hill joins our team months ahead of a presidential election, as California legislators begin debating reparations for the descendants of slavery, as the city of Sacramento considers who should be our next mayor and as our region experiences booming growth, political change and economic challenges.

“I’m happy to welcome LeBron to our editorial board, and I’m eager for him to share his thought-provoking, incisive commentary with our readers,” said Colleen McCain Nelson, executive editor of The Sacramento Bee. “We are fortunate to have such a talented team of columnists and editorial writers at The Bee, and LeBron’s arrival underscores our commitment to delivering high-impact local opinion journalism that Sacramentans can’t find anywhere else.”

Hill will relocate to Sacramento in April, making him part of a significant influx of new residents reshaping our community.

“Sacramento is a city that I’m looking forward to calling home. I believe the best way to write opinions is to keep every opinion in mind. Listening to our fellow Sacramentans is how we best represent our communities, and so I encourage you to get a cup of coffee with me and share what you think are important issues in the city, region and state. Let’s make Sacramento better, together.”