By Nava Atlas | On October 30, 2018 | Updated February 21, 2025 | Comments (5)
Ruth Gruber (September 30, 1911 – November 17, 2016) led a life that was so incredible, it could have been a movie. And in fact, just some of the many courageous episodes in her 105-year life were made into films — one in the form of a dramatized biopic, the other a documentary.
Ruth’s multi-faceted career as a journalist and documentary photographer isn’t as well known as it should be, and like other women who were ahead of their time, she deserves to be revisited and celebrated.
The daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Ruth was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She was a brilliant student with a passion for Jewish culture, and always loved to write. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 3, 2018 | Updated February 11, 2025 | Comments (0)
Alice Allison Dunnigan (April 27, 1906 –May 6, 1983), better known as Alice Dunnigan, was the first African American female correspondent to receive White House credentials.
She was also the first Black female member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives press galleries. She covered Harry Truman’s 1948 presidential campaign, another first for an African American female journalist.
A true trailblazer, Alice Dunnigan was known for her tough, forthright questions. Her gutsy approach led her from journalism into a position that spanned the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On June 12, 2018 | Updated February 21, 2025 | Comments (2)
Dickey Chapelle (March 14, 1919 – November 4, 1965) was a pioneering American war correspondent and photojournalist who covered world conflicts from World War II to Vietnam.
Born Georgette Louise Meyer, she was fascinated by air travel throughout her childhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She renamed herself after the explorer Admiral Richard “Dickey” Bird.
Even as a child, Georgie Lou, as she was called, marched to her own drum. She was short and nearsighted, and always quirky and precocious. From a young age, she dreamed of flying planes. She was patriotic — always saluting the flag on her way to school. “I believed I could do anything I wanted to do, and I still believe it.” Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On March 27, 2018 | Updated March 2, 2025 | Comments (0)
Launching The Provincial Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper, in Windsor, Ontario, gave Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823 – 1893) the distinction of being the first woman publisher of any race or background in Canada, and the first Black woman publisher in all of North America.
In her role as editor and writer forThe Provincial Freeman, Mary Ann advocated for the Black community in the U.S. and Canada. She worked tirelessly to break down the dual barriers of race and gender.
Later an active participant in the women’s suffrage movement in the U.S., she also lectured widely on education and self-reliance. Later in life, she became an attorney. Read More→
By Aiyana Edmund | On January 31, 2018 | Updated November 8, 2024 | Comments (10)
The female journalists of the World War II era highlighted here reported on and documented from the field, and pushed gender-defined barriers.
They fought for what they believed in, which was the right to report and expose the folly and brutality of war.
These women contributed to the historic record with their groundbreaking work and bravery as journalists, photographers, and correspondents during the world war and in some cases beyond. Above right, Ruth Baldwin Cowan’s WW II press credentials. See more about her later in this post. Read More→
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