Black History Month

Black History Month 2011

For Black History Month 2011, the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education website celebrates 28 individuals. One for each day of February, the shortest month of the year.

The lives of these Americans are worthy of celebration and further study, which our short profiles hope to encourage. The women and men included are writers, editors, journalists, publishers, trailblazers and change makers. They remind us of the rich contributions African Americans make and have made in the world of words.

This is by no means a definitive or exhaustive listing. It’s a starting point for learning, comment & discussion during Black History Month - February, 2011 when our nation pays a little more attention to issues of diversity. Be heard. Tell us what you think & what we can learn!

Black History Month - Leandra Abbott
February 1, 2011
Leandra Abbott
Leandra Abbott started her journalism career as the first black female on staff at Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1967.  Soon thereafter, Abbott found herself working at Newsweek, where she was charged with reporting on civil rights issues. ... more »
Black History Month - Ed Bradley
February 2, 2011
Ed Bradley
From an unpaid radio jockey and reporter, Ed Bradley built a career as an award-winning journalist, highly acclaimed for his work on 60 Minutes. After hearing a Philadelphia DJ speak at his college class, Bradley was intrigued and started... more »
Black History Month - Earl Caldwell
February 3, 2011
Earl Caldwell
Earl Caldwell started his career writing for his local small town newspaper and went on to cover some of the biggest stories in our nation’s history. As a reporter for the New York Times, he was the only journalist at the Lorraine Motel when Dr.... more »
Black History Month - Cheryl Contee
February 4, 2011
Cheryl Contee
Cheryl Contee looked at the way African Americans are portrayed in the traditional media and the realities of African American life. The glaring disparity prompted her and a colleague to found Jack & Jill Politics, an online site dedicated to... more »
Black History Month - Belva Davis
February 5, 2011
Belva Davis
Belva Davis has been instrumental in the advancement of African Americans from her earliest professional years.  As one of the first black female TV journalists in the ‘60s, Davis helped to put a respected minority face in the living rooms of... more »
Black History Month - Frederick Douglass
February 6, 2011
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass, an African American born into slavery, is an icon in the history of both great Americans and great journalists.  The founder of the North Star, an abolitionist newspaper that fought slavery and called for the emancipation of... more »
Black History Month - David Drummond
February 7, 2011
David Drummond
David Drummond is a groundbreaking African American who is currently the Chief Legal Executive of Google.  He holds a law degree with honors from Stanford University, and has testified at the United States Senate regarding the competitive... more »
Black History Month - Marcus Garvey
February 8, 2011
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey established the concept of a “Pan African” philosophy known as “Garveyism” in the early 20th century.   Born in Jamaica, he went on to establish the United Negro Improvement Association and the PPP, the first modern era... more »
Black History Month - Dorothy Gilliam
February 9, 2011
Dorothy Gilliam
Dorothy Gilliam is a trailblazing African American journalist who was the first full time black woman reporter hired at the Washington Post in 1961.  She was president of the National Association of Black Journalists, as well a television... more »
Black History Month - Alex Haley
February 10, 2011
Alex Haley
Alex Haley was a journalist, novelist and screenwriter, perhaps most famous for his 1970’s miniseries “Roots.”   After 20 years in the US Coast Guard, he left as both Chief Petty Officer and Chief Journalist, a rating created for him to... more »
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