McAlpin, Harry Sylvester
1906-1985 · Contribution: 1944-1946
Reporter; attorney
Became the first African American reporter accredited to and to attend a U.S. presidential press conference, entering the Oval Office on February 8, 1944, over the objections of the all-white White House Correspondents’ Association
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1906, St. Louis, Missouri
- Active since
- 1944
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- First Black reporter to attend a U.S. presidential press conference
Impact on the world
McAlpin forced the presidential briefing room open to the Black press, refusing a deal designed to keep him out and reporting to 51 Black newspapers nationwide.
An alternative history
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Sources
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