The Black American women journalists presented in this survey were true trailblazers, each in her own unique way, from newspaper publishing and investigative reporting to foreign correspondence and broadcasting.

It took an inordinate amount of perseverance for Black female journalists to break into white male-dominated fields, at the time that each did so. At right, Ethel Payne.

The power of language to document news and social issues often affects change. Each of these trailblazers from the past helped open new professional paths for women of all backgrounds to pursue.

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