By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Carole Simpson
Born on Dec. 7, 1940, in Chicago, Carole Simpson is known for being the first broadcast journalist to hold the title of “news anchor” for a major media company. According to Simpson’s autobiography, available on her website, she first took interest in media in high school.
“ I joined my high school newspaper and got my first experience in reporting and writing when I did a story about the King and Queen of the Senior Prom. From that, oh-so humble beginning, I got hooked on journalism,” says the veteran journalist, on her website.
Simson went on to attend the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelors in journalism in 1962. At the time, she was the only Black student to do so in her graduating class. While pursuing her degree she worked for the community newspaper, affording her an opportunity to engage in her first journalism experience.
“I credit Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with helping launch my 40-year-long career in broadcast journalism,” said Simpson, in a statement posted with a photo of her and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was a 24-year-old radio reporter just starting out in Chicago when Dr. King brought his civil rights crusade to the North. He gave me a scoop that eluded all members of the Chicago and national press corps’. He told me that I was getting the exclusive because I persisted. He whispered in my ear that he was conducting this Northern campaign to fight segregated housing and to challenge the power of Mayor Richard Daley, the news the nation had been waiting to hear. Before I left Dr. King to report the big news, he said he had great expectations for me. This photo is the most treasured in my collection. Happy Dr. King Day and thank you, sir.
In 1965, Simpson worked for WCFL Radio, where she became the first woman to broadcast news in Chicago history. During her days at Chicago’s WBB Radio, where she worked as a news reporter and anchor, Simpson covered the Civil Rights Movement and the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial.
She achieved an array of other firsts during her career, such as becoming the first woman and minority to moderate a presidential debate in 1992.
Simpson ended her career as an ABC weekend anchor in 2003, became an ambassador for the broadcast network and has since visited public schools across the country educating students on the changing landscape of media.
Dorothy Pearl Butler Gilliam
Dorothy Butler Gilliam, former president of the National Association of Black Journalists, has worn many hats throughout her lifetime. She is a former reporter, editor, columnist, author and educator.
Born on Nov. 24, 1936, in Memphis, Tenn. Gilliam was one of 10 children, of which only five survived. Gilliam started her work in journalism at the Louisville Defender, where she first worked as a typist, and then was named society editor.
In 1957, while working for the Memphis Tri-State Defender, Gilliam covered the integration of Little Rock. While there she was offered a job as an associate editor for Jet magazine. During her career, she worked at the Washington Post for more than 30 years, where her metro section columns, which focused on issues of education, politics and race were popular. When she accepted the Washington Post role, she was the first Black woman to join the staff as a journalist.
Gilliam served as the president of the National Association of Black Journalists from 1993 to 1995. She also authored the book, “Paul Robeson: All American,” in 1976, contributed to the “Edge of Change: Women in the 21st Century Press” in 2009 and published an autobiography titled “Trailblazer: A Pioneering Journalist’s Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America” in 2019.
Belva Davis
Belva Davis, a longtime broadcast journalist, was born on October 13, 1932.
Davises first paid writing job was as a freelancer for Jet magazine Davises first paid writing job was as a freelancer for Jet magazine. During her career, she worked at a variety of Black news organizations including the Bay Area Independent and the San Francisco Sun-Reporter Davis got her start in broadcast journalism at KSAN radio station. She was the first Black female employed by the media organization.
In 1966, Davis became a television news anchor on KPIX-TV, San Francisco’s CBS affiliate, replacing Nancy Reynolds. In the role, she became the first female Black television reporter on the West Coast.
During her career, she anchored “A Closer Look During her career, she anchored a closer look,” “Evening Edition.” She also helped create “All Together Now,” one of the first prime-time public affairs shows to concentrate on ethnic communities in the U.S.
Melba Tolliver
Melba Tolliver, born in Rome, Ga. in 1939, started out in a career as a registered nurse but decided to switch to a career and broadcast news.
In 1966, she became a clerk for an ABC News executive. A year later during an on-air-employees strike, her boss asked her to anchor a five-minute new show called, “News with a Woman’s Touch.” Her performance went so well that she continued to fill in during the week-long strike.
WABC made sure to hire diverse employees and Tolliver, with her Black and Puerto Rican ethnic makeup, fit the bill along with some other staff members. While at WABC she decided to make a bold choice and switch from using wigs while on the job to wearing her natural hair in an afro. Despite pressure from her bosses to go back to the wigs or straighten her hair, she persisted and refused to fry, dye or lay to the side her natural crown, a beautiful afro.
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