Tolliver, Melba
1939-present · Contribution: 1967-1994
Broadcast journalist; anchor
Became the first Black person to anchor a network news program in the United States in 1967 when, as an ABC secretary, she filled in on air during a broadcasting strike, then spent nearly three decades as a New York City television reporter and anchor at WABC, WNBC, and News 12 Long Island
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1939, Rome, Georgia
- Active since
- 1967
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- First Black person to anchor a U.S. network news program
Impact on the world
Tolliver's unexpected on-air debut broke the network-anchor color line, and her stand over her natural hair became a landmark moment in television's reckoning with Black identity on screen.
Sources
- New York Amsterdam News
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