Kai Wright began his career as a journalist in the late '90s at the
Washington Blade. His first assignment was a story looking at the disproportionate risk of HIV infection among people of color, and particularly young gay men of color. He then spent much of his early career writing about impact of
HIV/AIDS on young gay men of color. Wright went on to become a favorite reporter at
Type Investigations (formerly The Investigative Fund) where he covered economic inequality, access to healthcare, and racial inequity. Wright gained notoriety in the HIV prevention world as he, while writing as a columnist and later senior writer at The Root, he served as publications editor for the
Black AIDS Institute. He spent time as senior editor at
City Limits, copy editor at the
New York Daily News, and news reporter at
The Washington Blade He is credited with transforming the publication from a bimonthly print journal to a daily digital destination reaching 1 million readers a month. In 2015, Wright was persuaded to join The Nation as a features editor, making it, at the time, one of the few political magazines with people of color in senior leadership. Wright edited the magazine's features, investigative reports, and editorials, helped cultivate new talent, and developed new digital ventures. The magazine looked to him to enhance coverage in his areas of expertise - issues of race and racial justice, inequality, labor, health, and sexuality. Outside of his home publications, his writing has appeared in
In These Times,
Truthout,
Common Dreams,
Essence magazine, and
Mother Jones. == Personal life ==