Truth Tellers: The Power and Presence of Black Women Journalists Since 1960

“Well-behaved women seldom make history,” coined by a prominent historian, has become one of feminism’s most popular sayings. The experiences of the women featured in Truth Tellers: The Power and Presence of Black Women Journalists Since 1960, could take that phrase one step further: “Trailblazing women, knocking down barriers despite the odds against them, are inspiring.”

In Truth Tellers, journalist Bonnie Newman Davis tells the story of 24 Black women in print and broadcast journalism whose careers spanned the last 40 years of the 20th century. In exquisitely written chapters, Davis provides mini memoirs of courageous women whom history writers have largely ignored. These unsung “she-roes” faced racism, humiliation, and depression but also community support and success.

Davis, the current managing editor of the Richmond Free Press, a Black-owned newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, begins chapters with pivotal moments in the lives of the women, such as watching TV news in the 60s as a child and seeing for the first time a Black person reporting the news, reading comic books about the fictional reporter Brenda Starr and books about teen detective Nancy Drew, writing for the high school newspaper, and starting a journal to document the chaos in the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the bombing of the Birmingham church in which four young girls were killed.

One common thread in the stories is each journalist’s perseverance in spite of road blocks—unequal pay, being passed over for promotions, being denied high-profile story assignments, being repeatedly turned down for jobs. Strategies for prevailing include being nimble—leaving a news organization and being willing to move multiple times to move up the career ladder—and cultivating mentors who have clout in the news industry and a network of peer journalists as a support system.

One of the more poignant chapters tells the story of Barbara Ciara, a woman I watched anchor the morning news on WVEC-TV when I was a college student in the Tidewater, Virginia area in the 1980s. Ciara became pregnant at the age of 13 and left her son with her mother to raise. Her drive for a career motivated her to move out of the Pittsburgh projects. For a time she was homeless and slept on the balcony of the Apollo Theater. Later (though long before she came to WVEC), she got a $2.10-an-hour job as a TV production assistant. Since then she’s interviewed presidents and countless celebrities, provided analysis on CNN and CBS, and been honored with numerous awards. Unfortunately, her personal life didn’t fare as well. Twice divorced, her son never lived with her on a permanent basis.

Truth Tellers is an important read for young generations of aspiring journalists and social activists, scholars interested in the history of American journalism, and anyone interested in women’s history. Getting to the last page of Truth Tellers may lead to more reading. Many of the journalists featured have written memoirs.