Trailblazer

"An important document of the struggles (and triumphs) faced by African-American journalists from the 1960s until today."—Kirkus "Dorothy Gilliam lived a fascinating life and shares it with you in Trailblazer. She started out afraid to tell her editors that D.C. cabs wouldn't stop for her-a problem for a reporter who needed to get to stories on time. She wound up a member of a group of minority columnists who regularly interviewed presidents.

"Her book is a tribute to her generous spirit. No one made greater efforts to share her success with others, to teach school-age journalists, to open the ranks of newspaper management to minorities.

"So many people in journalism are grateful that they met Dorothy. Here's your chance."—Don Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post "Dorothy Gilliam has contributed a rare and important history of the journey of a Black reporter, who is also a woman, focusing on the Washington Post, but which has implications for the entire industry, writ large. Such a book would have always been a great contribution to the canon, but it is even more relevant today as the industry, as well as the society grapples with diversity and the way forward. Dorothy Gilliam provides answers that give us a road map to successfully navigate that way forward.—Charlayne Hunter-Gault, internationally-known journalist and former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service "As a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses primarily on African American history, politics, and culture, I find Dorothy Gilliam's trailblazing career and body of work to be invaluable. I'm thrilled by the thought of having her memoirs as a reference, offering insight and wisdom to my understanding of those who paved the way for so many, including me, in the field of journalism. I look forward to them and those aspects that she will share for my upcoming MSNBC documentary In the Line of Fire: The Media and the Movement (WT). Due to air in April 2018, Ms. Gilliam will be a primary resource and as such, I intend for her forthcoming memoir to be recognized by name in the program."—Phil Bertelsen, Producer/Director, arkmedia "Dorothy Gilliam is that most rare of revolutionaries, one who not only climbs the barricades, but lets down a ladder to help others up, too. In her more than six decades at the centers of journalism in New York and Washington, she has often been the first African American woman and the best of everything. Her memoir shows us that a few can be both, but no one should have to. We will have no democracy until each of us can be our unique individual selves." —Gloria Steinem, feminist activist, writer, editor, lecturer who also helped create New York and Ms. Magazine "Powerful voice, inextinguishable brilliance, quiet strength, elegant beauty, visionary leader, honored journalist: Dorothy Gilliam. First African-American female journalist at the Washington Post, Dorothy Gilliam is a trailblazer who still is having an impact on journalists and journalism.

It's my honor to know Dorothy, serve on the board of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and be one of her many fans who credit Dorothy with being an early career role model."—Paula Madison, first executive vice president of diversity at NBC Universal, author "Dorothy Gilliam didn't just shatter racial and gender barriers at The Washington Post, she shattered the journalistic view that white 'objectivity' was the only way of seeing the world. Gilliam pioneered a way of writing about African Americans that was accurate, balanced and compassionate-principles that had only applied to the coverage of whites before she arrived. The courage and intellectual rigor that it took for her to become the first African American woman journalist at the Post makes her a revered elder among black journalists today. Transforming the practice of journalism and paving the way for others makes her a legend for all time."—Courtland Milloy, fellow columnist at The Washington Post Expand reviews