Rachel J. Pilgrim

Rachel J. Pilgrim is a multimedia investigative journalist from Mount Vernon, New York. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University with degrees in English, Business, and Inequality Studies before earning her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School. Rachel has worked across radio, podcasting, video, and digital platforms, covering stories on race, culture, social justice, and crime. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, and The Root. She is also a coauthor and copy editor for the book Moving Still, published in 2020. While at Columbia, Rachel received honors for her master’s project, Seek and You Will Find: The Search For The Five Women of Grace Baptist Church. She created a website featuring an excerpt, interactive data, and archival material from her four-month investigation into the founding of Westchester County’s largest church in 1888. The New York Times published her thesis alongside an essay she wrote, The Long, Worthwhile Search for the Five Black Women of Grace Baptist Church, which went viral on Twitter, was spotlighted by the NYT National and New York desks, and earned an “Editors’ Pick” on the paper’s homepage. Since publication, the essay’s website has received over 40,000 views, with around 300 weekly visits.

In the audio space, Rachel has worked as a producer, reporter, and scriptwriter for several notable and award-winning shows. Her credits include multiple Audible Originals, The Unbothered Network’s beloved Sanctified podcast on Spotify, The Plot Thickens: Here Comes Pam from Turner Classic Movies, YouTube’s Like & Describe, and Lemonada Media’s Blind Plea. Outside of journalism, Rachel runs her herbalism business, The Land of Milk & Honey Apothecary, LLC., and her media company, Heal and Hear the Community, LLC. You can learn more about her work at racheljpilgrim.com. A self-proclaimed plant hoarder and tea fanatic, Rachel is also the proud mom to two cats, a dog, a fish, and a turtle — and somehow still finds room for more plants.