Dianna Donahue-Holley

Editor-in-Chief

I am the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of URBANE Magazine, central Arkansas' leading Black Lifestyle publication. I attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where I studied Education with an emphasis in English. I received my bachelor's in 2014 and my master's in 2020.

I am a Little Rock native who dreamed of creating a platform that supports, recognizes, and empowers Black Arkansans. It would utilize images and stories to convey the fullness of beauty within Black communities. Motivated by my compassion for my race, I used my novice skill set, a shallow well of industry knowledge, even fewer resources, and my education to create a mockup of my dream in 2012, after two years spent sitting on it. I entitled it URBANE Magazine - a nod to my perception of Black people.

URBANE was officially established on February 1st, 2015 – coincidentally, on the first day of Black History Month. I sat on it again for several years with no real deadline to launch. Then came the summer of 2020. I would have never believed, in a million years, that my version of the human experience would see such outright displays of racial hatred, violence, bigotry, and criminal acts against humanity at one time. But they did. URBANE Magazine came to life as a result. I launched the first issue of URBANE Magazine to the public on February 1st, 2021 - in honor of Black History Month. With URBANE, I get to do my part in upholding and preserving the integrity and the richness of Black culture, countering false and systematic narratives and assumptions. Particularly for the state of Arkansas.