Black History
Journalist Gwen Ifill Recognized with Commemorative Stamp
Update: The United States Postal Service released its Black Heritage Series stamp on February 3, 2020 memorializing the late pioneering journalist, Gwen Ifill. The stamp is the 43rd in the series. Ifill made history as the first Black woman to host a national political talk show when she was named moderator of the PBS program Washington Week in Review. She also worked for The New York Times and The Washington Post and authored the book, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. Ifill died of cancer at age 61 in 2016.
Journalist Gwen Ifill is being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a commemorate stamp. Ifill became one of America’s most trusted journalists as her work moved her from print reporting at The New York Times to NBC News as a correspondent to PBS where she was the co-host of “PBS NewsHour.” She built a stellar career on the tenets of integrity, credibility, and professionalism. Ifill died in 2016 after a battle with cancer.
The President of the National Association of Black Journalists, Dorothy Tucker said, “NABJ encourages our members to break barriers, to fight for what is right, to innovate, to use their pens and their voices to make an impact! Throughout her career, Gwen Ifill showed us exactly how to use our platforms to effect change.”
Praise for the decision filled the social media timelines of journalists around the country.
MSNBC’s Joy Reid tweeted, “No one deserves this more. Gonna buy a whole pack of Gwen Ifill stamps!”
The founder of The HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest video and oral history archive, also celebrated the tribute to Ifill. In 2014 Julieanna Richardson partnered with PBS to produce the series, “An Evening with Gwen Ifill” which was highly acclaimed and showcased the achievements of well-known and accomplished African Americans. At the time of Ifill’s passing, Richardson wrote, “She was our friend and ardent supporter…her loss shook our very core.”
Ifill’s skills were witnessed by the entire country during the 2004 and 2008 Presidential campaigns when she became the first African American reporter to moderate the Vice-Presidential debates. She also shared her insights on the historical election of President Barack Obama in the “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” Ifill received many honors during her distinguished career including induction into the NABJ Hall of Fame in 2012.
Tucker added, “I am proud that her name is placed among our iconic NABJ Hall of Famers and that she will forever be memorialized by the US Postal Service, for indeed she is worthy of every honor that ensures her enduring legacy.”
In Arkansas a formerly all-Black school, Ouachita County Training School, has launched a national fundraising effort to restore the campus following its designation as a site on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the first corporate donations to OCTS, located in Bearden, Arkansas, came from the Katherine Anthony Foundation.
Anthony’s nephew, Steve, and CEO of Anthony Timberlands, presented a $10,000 check to the historic committee.
“We are happy to support the work of the Greater Bradley District Association and the Ouachita County Training School committee in their efforts to maintain the infrastructure and grounds of the training school, which is such an important part of the Bearden community,” Anthony said.
The National Park Service listed OCTS on the prestigious register in 2023.
“Since we received the news, we have been excited and motivated to raise the fund necessary to preserve this part of our history!” Virginia Ashley, committee president said. “We recognize the pivotal role OCTS played in educating several generations of young people who started right here and went on to contribute greatly to the Black middle class and the world.”
The gift of education
For education advocates, December holds a special place in American history. During the Christmas Season in 1952, the Supreme Court first heard arguments to eliminate segregation in the nation’s public schools. But, it took two more years before the Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring segregation unconstitutional.
During the 1950s, OCTS educated Black students in the small southern town south of Little Rock, which became known internationally for The Little Rock Nine and their efforts to integrate Central High School. In Bearden, several Rosenwald Schools had consolidated to create the larger OCTS campus that educated students from the first through the 12th grades.
“I have such wonderful memories of my days as a student at OCTS,” recalled Pearlie Newton, a retired educator and executive director of the OCTS historic committee. “My dad helped pour concrete at the campus, my husband and I met there and it was in one of the classrooms that my goal to become an educator took shape.”
Despite the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision eliminating “separate but equal” schools, OCTS remained segregated until 1971 when it merged with the white school district in the area. An association of Black Baptist churches known as the Greater Bradley District Association purchased the campus for use as its headquarters.
Pastor and Association Moderator, Verna Thompson, said, “We are excited about the renovation and look forward to holding our church services and meetings in a modernized facility that holds so much historic significance.”
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