- Simeon Booker
Simeon Booker (born
August 27 ,1918 in Baltimore) is an award-winningAfrican-American journalist whose work appeared in leading news publications for more than 50 years.Early years
Born in
Maryland , Booker moved with his family to Youngstown,Ohio , when he was five years old. There, his father opened aYMCA for African-Americans." [http://www.answers.com/topic/simeon-booker Simeon Booker] ",Answers.com .] While a high school student in Youngstown, some of Booker's stories were published in the Baltimore "Afro American", a prominent Black newspaper.Wil Haygood, " [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071001619.html The Man From Jet:Simeon Booker not only covered a tumultuous era, he lived it] ", "The Washington Post ",July 15 ,2007 .]Education
Booker graduated from high school in Youngstown and then enrolled at Youngstown College, but transferred to
Virginia Union University in Richmond,Virginia , when he learned that Black students were denied activity cards at the YMCA. He earned money during college by providing publicity for Virginia Union's sports teams. Booker returned to Youngstown during summer vacations and published articles about the Negro Baseball League games there. Upon graduating with a degree in English, he took his first job with the "Afro American". Booker later returned to Ohio and worked for the Cleveland "Call and Post ". Booker was offered a prestigiousNieman Fellowship atHarvard University in 1950–51.Journalistic career
In 1952 Booker became the first black reporter for "
The Washington Post ". Booker is best-known for his Civil Rights era reporting for "Jet" and "Ebony" magazines. His coverage of the 1955 murder of 14-year-oldEmmett Till inMississippi and the subsequent trial is one of the most noted pieces of journalism from the era.During his long career, Booker was recognized by his peers with numerous awards, including the Newspaper Guild Award and a Wilkie Award." [http://www.johnsonpublishing.com/assembled/press_booker_retires.html Simeon Booker, 88, Retires From JET Magazine] ", Johnson Publishing Company press release,
January 23 ,2007 .] In 1982 he became the first African-American journalist to win the National Press Club's Fourth Estate Award for lifetime contributions to journalism.Lois Fiore, " [http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/07-1NRspring/p109-0701-notes.html Nieman Notes] ", "Nieman Reports", Spring 2007.] " [http://www.press.org/activities/awardwinners.pdf Programs & Events: NPC Award Winners] ", National Press Club.] Booker retired in 2007 at the age of 88, after serving as "Jet"'s Washington Bureau Chief for 48 years.References
Further reading
* Simeon Booker, " [http://www.ebonyjet.com/media/jet55/civilrights.html My "Jet" Years — 1953-2006] ", 2006.
* Simeon Booker, " [http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/99-4_00-1NR/Booker_Negro.html A Negro Reporter at the Till Trial] ", "Jet", January 1956.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
