Gilliam, Dorothy Pearl Butler
1936-present · Contribution: 1961-2003
Reporter; columnist; diversity advocate
Became the first African American woman hired as a reporter at The Washington Post in 1961, launching a 50-year career there that included covering the integration of the University of Mississippi and, later, co-founding the journalism-diversity organization now known as the Maynard Institute
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1936, Memphis, Tennessee
- Active since
- 1961
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- First Black woman reporter at The Washington Post
Impact on the world
Gilliam persevered where the Post's first Black male reporter had left within eighteen months, then spent fifty years both covering her community and building the pipelines that brought other journalists of color into the profession.
Sources
- Washington Post
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