- Vernon Jarrett
Vernon Jarrett (1918 –May 23 ,2004 ) was anAfrican American journalist who worked innewspaper ,television andradio and was an influential commentator onrace relations ,politics , andAfrican American history . [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53239-2004May24.html Vernon Jarrett, 84; Journalist, Crusader] , The Washington Post, May 25, 2004] [http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=12&category=MediaMakers Vernon Jarrett Biography] , The HistoryMakers website]Jarrett was born in
Paris, Tennessee ; his parents were schoolteachers. He graduated fromKnoxville College inTennessee . He moved toChicago in 1946 and began his journalism career at the "Chicago Defender ". In his first assignment for the "Defender", he covered arace riot . He also worked for the "Associated Negro Press" during the 1940s. For three years beginning in 1948 he partnered withcomposer Oscar Brown, Jr. to produce "Negro Newsfront", the first daily radio news broadcast in the United States to be created by African Americans.Jarrett was the first African American to be a
syndicated columnist for the "Chicago Tribune ", beginning in 1970. During his years at the "Tribune", he also was a host on Chicago's ABC-TV station, WLS, where he produced nearly 2,000 television broadcasts. In 1983, he left the Tribune for the "Chicago Sun-Times " as an op-ed columnist. He later became a member of the "Sun-Times" editorial board, and retired from the "Sun-Times" in 1995.He was one of the founders of the
National Association of Black Journalists , serving as the organization's second president.
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