Newsletter AD Fall 2025
The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet
The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet
Newsletter AD Fall 2025
The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet
Maya Denaé Taylor

Maya Denaé Taylor, Magazine Editor

(she/they)

Maya Denaé Taylor is a fourth-year journalism major and philosophy minor in their second semester at The State Hornet. She has previously worked as a co-host and producer for The Student Impact Report with the Student Basic Needs Coalition and station manager at KSSU. Outside the newsroom, she works as the vice president of Her Campus and creates content on Instagram and Youtube. Furthermore, they were a 2025 Justice for Black Girls Black Girlhood Studies Fellow, where she was able to expand upon her deep interest in Black feminist theory and literature.

All content by Maya Denaé Taylor
In January 2015, activist April Reign’s #OscarsSoWhite tweet started an overdue conversation around which Black performances are respected by the Academy. Since then, has the industry changed its ways? (Photo by Carlos Barria | Graphic created in Canva by Maya Denaé Taylor)

Minimization of Black identity in film: How the Academy Awards sees color

Why does the AMPAS get to define valuable Black performances?
Maya Denaé Taylor, Magazine Editor
March 18, 2026
In January 2015, April Reign’s #OscarsSoWhite tweet started an overdue conversation around which Black performances are respected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As the Academy Awards inches closer to its 100th anniversary, how has the reverence of Black identity shaped Hollywood?
Graphic Created in Canva

Theatre Rats REDUX: Reconnecting with ‘Let It Shine’

A return to peak 2012 kids culture
Kristopher Caalim, Nykeriyah Brown, Clifton Bullock III, and Maya Denaé Taylor
February 28, 2026
Host Kristopher Caalim sits with Nykeriyah Brown, Clifton Bullock III and Maya Denaé Taylor to talk about the 2012 Disney Channel Original Movie, “Let It Shine”, in celebration of Black History Month. The four discuss the film's representation of Black music and culture, and they reflect on the broader cultural context in which it was written.
As of fall 2024, transfer students made up about 51% of Sacramento State’s incoming enrollment, making them a key component of the student body. Their unique stories offer fresh perspectives that frame the campus culture. (Graphic created in Canva by Maya Denaé Taylor)

Taking a walk along the transfer pathway

A glimpse into the unique perspectives of transfer students
Maya Denaé Taylor, Magazine Editor
February 23, 2026
Making up about half of Sacramento State’s student body, the unique stories of transfer students offer fresh perspectives that frame the campus culture. Coming from over 100 different California institutions, these students come equipped with both academic and life experience.
The second annual Sacramento Poetry Week is back from Oct. 20 until Oct. 26, 2025. The week-long poetry celebration offers seven days of unique events to uplift and educate the city’s evolving community. (Graphic created in Canva)

PREVIEW: Sacramento poetry pillars bring back Sac Poetry Week

The second annual event aims to uplift Sacramento’s poetry community
Maya Denaé Taylor, Podcast Staffer
October 20, 2025
The second annual Sac Poetry Week is coming back from Oct. 20 until Oct. 26, hosted by founder and Sacramento Poet Laureate Emeritus Andru Defeye. The week-long celebration will offer seven days of unique events across Sacramento to uplift and educate the city’s evolving poetry community.
State Hornet Spotlight: The power of Latiné

State Hornet Spotlight: The power of Latiné

Amplifying diverse stories can empower Latiné communities
Maya Denaé Taylor, Staffer
October 10, 2025
In this episode of State Hornet Spotlight, host Maya Denaé Taylor interviews Ethnic Studies Professor Elvia Ramirez and graduate student Víctor Tafoya. The duo discuss their work with the Center on Race, Immigration and Social Justice’s podcast, Building Justice and the importance of amplifying Latiné and other marginalized communities.
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