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.”