Dorothy Butler Gilliam (b. 1936), the first Black woman reporter at the Washington Post, developed a keen interest in writing and literature at an early age. She first pursued her interest in journalism by taking a part-time job at The Louisville Defender, one of the nation's most prominent Black papers. She went on to work as a reporter for the Tri-State Defender and as associate editor of JET magazine before attending graduate school at Columbia University. She was the only Black woman in her class.
In 1961, Gilliam earned her graduate degree in journalism and received the Anne O’Hare McCormick Award from the New York Newspaper Women’s Club. She began her career at the Washington Post as a reporter for the city desk. Gilliam worked for the Post for most of the next thirty years, rising to become the newspaper’s first Black woman assistant editor, correspondent, and columnist. As co-founder of the Institute of Journalism Education and President of the National Association of Black Journalists, Gilliam continued to champion inclusion in the media.
