She is a regular television contributor to Al Jazeera America and several radio and print magazine outlets. Tonya has won several national awards for her four-part NPR radio series “Black in Seattle,” including a 2014 RTDNA Unity Award and the National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Award. Her print reporting on the Seattle Police Department’s handling of a murder investigation won her “Journalist of The Year” by the Washington Association for Justice. In 2014, she was named one of the “51 Most Influential People” by Seattle Magazine. Previously, Tonya was a staff reporter for KING 5 Television in Seattle — where her long-form story showcasing the ease of obtaining medical marijuana prescriptions was instrumental in legislators toughening medical marijuana laws.