My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives
“Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an eminent Dean of American journalism, a vital voice whose work chronicled the civil rights movement and so much of what has transpired since then. My People is the definitive collection of her reportage and commentary. Spanning datelines in the American South, South Africa and points scattered in between, her work constitutes a history of our time as rendered by the pen of a singular and indispensable black woman journalist.”-Jelani Cobb

From the legendary Emmy Award-winning journalist, a collection of ground-breaking reportage from across five decades which vividly chronicles the experience of Black life in America today.

At just nineteen years old, Charlayne Hunter-Gault made national news after she had mounted a successful legal challenge that culminated in her admission to the University of Georgia in January 1961—making her one of the first two Black students to integrate the institution. As an adult, Charlayne switched from being the subject of news to covering it, becoming one of its most recognized and acclaimed interpreters.

Over more than five decades, this dedicated reporter charted a course through some of the world’s most respected journalistic institutions, including The New Yorker, NBC, and the New York Times, where she was often the only Black woman in the newsroom. Throughout her storied career, Charlayne has chronicled the lives of Black people in America—shining a light on their experiences and giving a glimpse into their community as never before. Though she has covered numerous topics and events, observed as a whole, her work reveals the evolving issues at the forefront of Black Americans lives and how many of the same issues continue to persist today.

My People showcases Charlayne’s lifelong commitment to reporting on Black people in their totality, “in ways that are recognizable to themselves.” Spanning from the Civil Rights Movement through the election and inauguration of America’s first Black president and beyond, this invaluable collection shows the breadth and nuance of the Black experience through trials, tragedies, and triumphs of everyday lives.

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My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives
“Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an eminent Dean of American journalism, a vital voice whose work chronicled the civil rights movement and so much of what has transpired since then. My People is the definitive collection of her reportage and commentary. Spanning datelines in the American South, South Africa and points scattered in between, her work constitutes a history of our time as rendered by the pen of a singular and indispensable black woman journalist.”-Jelani Cobb

From the legendary Emmy Award-winning journalist, a collection of ground-breaking reportage from across five decades which vividly chronicles the experience of Black life in America today.

At just nineteen years old, Charlayne Hunter-Gault made national news after she had mounted a successful legal challenge that culminated in her admission to the University of Georgia in January 1961—making her one of the first two Black students to integrate the institution. As an adult, Charlayne switched from being the subject of news to covering it, becoming one of its most recognized and acclaimed interpreters.

Over more than five decades, this dedicated reporter charted a course through some of the world’s most respected journalistic institutions, including The New Yorker, NBC, and the New York Times, where she was often the only Black woman in the newsroom. Throughout her storied career, Charlayne has chronicled the lives of Black people in America—shining a light on their experiences and giving a glimpse into their community as never before. Though she has covered numerous topics and events, observed as a whole, her work reveals the evolving issues at the forefront of Black Americans lives and how many of the same issues continue to persist today.

My People showcases Charlayne’s lifelong commitment to reporting on Black people in their totality, “in ways that are recognizable to themselves.” Spanning from the Civil Rights Movement through the election and inauguration of America’s first Black president and beyond, this invaluable collection shows the breadth and nuance of the Black experience through trials, tragedies, and triumphs of everyday lives.

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My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives

My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives

by Charlayne Hunter-Gault
My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives

My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives

by Charlayne Hunter-Gault

Paperback

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Overview

“Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an eminent Dean of American journalism, a vital voice whose work chronicled the civil rights movement and so much of what has transpired since then. My People is the definitive collection of her reportage and commentary. Spanning datelines in the American South, South Africa and points scattered in between, her work constitutes a history of our time as rendered by the pen of a singular and indispensable black woman journalist.”-Jelani Cobb

From the legendary Emmy Award-winning journalist, a collection of ground-breaking reportage from across five decades which vividly chronicles the experience of Black life in America today.

At just nineteen years old, Charlayne Hunter-Gault made national news after she had mounted a successful legal challenge that culminated in her admission to the University of Georgia in January 1961—making her one of the first two Black students to integrate the institution. As an adult, Charlayne switched from being the subject of news to covering it, becoming one of its most recognized and acclaimed interpreters.

Over more than five decades, this dedicated reporter charted a course through some of the world’s most respected journalistic institutions, including The New Yorker, NBC, and the New York Times, where she was often the only Black woman in the newsroom. Throughout her storied career, Charlayne has chronicled the lives of Black people in America—shining a light on their experiences and giving a glimpse into their community as never before. Though she has covered numerous topics and events, observed as a whole, her work reveals the evolving issues at the forefront of Black Americans lives and how many of the same issues continue to persist today.

My People showcases Charlayne’s lifelong commitment to reporting on Black people in their totality, “in ways that are recognizable to themselves.” Spanning from the Civil Rights Movement through the election and inauguration of America’s first Black president and beyond, this invaluable collection shows the breadth and nuance of the Black experience through trials, tragedies, and triumphs of everyday lives.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780063135406
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 10/10/2023
Pages: 368
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an Emmy and Peabody award -winning journalist. She began her career at The New Yorker, becoming the first Black reporter for the Talk of the Town section, then as a special correspondent and anchor at NBC in D.C., after which she joined the New York Times, where she established the Harlem Bureau, the first of its kind. She eventually joined PBS NewsHour as its first substitute anchor and national correspondent. The author of four previous books, Hunter-Gault lives in Florida and on Martha’s Vineyard.

Table of Contents

Foreword Nikole Hannah-Jones xi

Part I Toward Justice and Equality, Then and Now 1

Dispute Center Opens in Harlem 5

After-School School for Black Youngsters In Search of Heritage 7

Black Activist Sees New South: Lewis Seeks Funds to Help Enroll More Voters 12

Blacks Are Developing Programs to Fight Crime in Communities 15

Economist Finds Widening in Black-White Income Gap 20

Fighting Racism in Schools 23

More Negroes Vacation as Barriers Fall 24

Panthers Indoctrinate the Young 30

Police Seek "Bridges" to Harlem 34

Talking to Young People About Trump 37

Teaching the Civil Rights Movement 41

Today's Horrors Are Yesterday's Repeats 44

Urban League Director Accuses the Press of Ignoring Blacks 47

On the Case in Resurrection City 49

Part II My Sisters 69

2 Black Women Combine Lives and Talent in Play 73

200 Black Women "Have Dialogue" 76

Black Women Getting Job Help 78

Black Women MDs 82

Civil Rights Pioneer Ruby Bridges on Activism in the Modern Era 87

Many Blacks Wary of "Women's Liberation" Movement in U.S. 92

New NAACP Head: Margaret Bush Wilson 96

Poets Extol a Sister's Unfettered Soul 99

Shirley Chisholm: Willing to Speak Out 103

The Woman Who Will Judge Oscar Pistorius 108

Unlimited Visibility 113

Part III Community and Culture 117

7,000 Books on Blacks Fill a Home 121

An Entrepreneur's Trucks Bring Southern Soul Food to Harlem 124

Church in Harlem Plays Vital Role in Community 126

How Black-ish Unpacks Hard Topics with Humor and Nuance 129

New Museum Traces Black Stage History 135

Street Academy Program Sends School "Walk-Outs" to Colleges 139

The Corner 141

The Professor 147

Woody Strode? He Wasn't the Star but He Stole the Movie 152

Roots Getting a Grip on People Everywhere 158

Harlem a Symphony for Orchestra 162

Part IV A Single Garment of Destiny 165

A Rainy Day in Soweto 169

America and South Africa, Watching Each Other 172

Ethiopia: Journalists Live in Fear of "Terror" Law 177

New Party Urged for World Blacks 180

School a Beacon of Hope in Nigeria 183

The Dangerous Case of Eskinder Nega 189

The Third Man 193

Revolution in Tunisia and in the African Media 208

Violated Hopes 211

Part V The Road Less Traveled 225

A Walk Through a Georgia Corridor 229

A Hundred-Fifteenth-Between-Lenox-and-Fifth 238

A Trip to Leverton 243

After Nine Years: A Homecoming for the First Black Girl at the University of Georgia 255

How the AME Church Helped Build My Armor of Values 274

Lifting My Voice 277

Oak Bluffs, More than a Region in My Mind 282

Taunts, Tear Gas, and Other College Memories 287

I Desegregated the University of Georgia. History Is Still in the Making 289

Part VI Honoring the Ancestors 293

A Love Affair That Lasted for Fifty-Six Years 297

Black Muslim Temple Renamed for Malcolm X 303

Columbia's Overdue Apology to Langston Hughes 306

Remembering John Lewis and the Significance of Freedom Rides 312

Mandela's Birthday and Trayvon Martin's Loss 316

Postscript: Julian Bond 319

The Death of a Friend Inspires Reflections on Mortality 323

When I Met Dr. King 328

Nelson Mandela, the Father 331

Epilogue: Reasons for Hope amid America's Racial Unrest 339

Acknowledgments 345

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