International Women’s Day Spotlight: Celebrating Journalist Sabirah Rayford

“Never underestimate anyone.”

Esteemed Fox 13 news journalist Sabirah Rayford, who anchors the 6 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts, started taking journalism classes in ninth grade as a way to “come out of her shell.” Her first paid job in media was behind the scenes as a digital producer. She made history as the “first ever college student” to present on air on WKYT-TV. 

Rayford loves working for FOX 13 because they share her core value of love and service to the community. “I’m all about positivity, and I’m all about viewing the glass half full,” says Rayford. Her move to Seattle from Houston was inspired by her openness and curiosity. She says that she has not felt the Seattle freeze at all, which she “believes is a misconception.” She adds, “We should be able to provide space for how people want to show up.” 

Rayford loves reporting on stories, but she shares that covering the Black Lives Matter movement was not easy. She “felt a heaviness as a human,” although she did understand that she had a “responsibility as a journalist” to bring the story to light and not involve her “opinions” or “feelings.” Her coverage of the movement was so well done that she not only received recognition from the West Palm Beach, Florida community but her coverage also led to a statewide TV special on race relations.

Rayford is the creator and host of a show called For the Girls: Women on the Rise,” a show that focuses on the journey of women in various industries in Seattle and the hardships that they have overcome to break the glass ceiling. Rayford mentions that the idea was conceived when she pitched a segment on women in leadership to her boss. She was inspired after she had the opportunity to emcee a TEDx event focused on women leaders across different industries. Some of the notable guests who were included in the first episode of the show were Physician Dr. Michelle Terry and Luly Yang, an American Taiwanese fashion designer. The first episode of the show performed very well and had great reviews. For Rayford, the goal of the show is to “uplift, inspire, and evolve,” as all the stories of the women in the show “all end with a lens of hope.”

For the Girls: Women on the Rise, has been renewed for a second episode, which will be premiering on FOX 13 on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. The show is also available to stream on the FOX Local APP, which is free to download on smart TVs.

Rayford is passionate about giving back to society in any way she can. She shares that she was a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, and watching her mentee evolve taught her to “never underestimate anyone based on their age or their background–we all can learn from anyone at any time.” Rayford adds that she too is a product of great mentorship from award-winning journalist, Delano Massey,  who was her first journalism writing teacher at the University of Kentucky, and later hired her at WKYT. 

For those interested in pursuing journalism, she advises aspiring journalists to hone their writing skills and have enough courage to do justice to the stories they cover. Some of the journalists Rayford admires include Oprah Winfrey, Carole Simpson, Diane Sawyer, and Walter Cronkite. However, she advises people not to mirror anyone’s career but rather to take inspiration from those they admire and “make it their own.” Rayford emphasizes to upcoming journalists to decide for themselves and says, “Don’t give your power away.”

Rayford says that both of her parents are her heroes, adding that her mother never misses a day of her newscast. Seeing people “discover something new about themselves” and having a “good conversation” brings Rayford joy. Rayford’s favorite quote of all time is from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Through her work, mentorship, and storytelling, Rayford continues to inspire future journalists while making an impact in Seattle and beyond.