Black History Month and Beyond

Black History Month and Beyond documents and preserves the stories of those courageous African American journalists who broke into general circulation media during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s.

The project launched in 1999 with The Caldwell Journals, a personal account of the black journalists' movement written by legendary reporter and columnist Earl Caldwell. The online serial recounts the influence of that generation of journalists on the news and newsrooms across the country.

Caldwell was the only reporter present when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. He also fought the federal government's attempts to appropriate his confidential notes and to force him to spy on the Black Panther Party, which he was covering for The New York Times. That battle reached the Supreme Court, where the government won. However, the case created the rationale for state-enacted "shield laws," protecting reporters' notes from government seizure.

These stories and others are included in the second phase of the Black History Month and Beyond, an oral/video collection that further elaborates on the journalists' experiences in their own words. In collaboration with The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center in New York, the Institute has completed 20 interviews that include Ed Bradley, of "60 Minutes," Charlayne Hunter-Gault, of CNN, and Institute co-founder Nancy Maynard. Funding for the project was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The personal stories demonstrate the value of diverse voices in our nation's newsrooms and present a more "whole" account of American journalism. The project also helps ensure that all aspiring journalists of color know who came before them.

The Institute plans to document the stories of journalists from other ethnic groups who broke general circulation barriers in the news media.