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Summary
Summary
"Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an eminent Dean of American journalism, a vital voice whose work chronicled the civil rights movement and so much of what has transpired since then. My People is the definitive collection of her reportage and commentary. Spanning datelines in the American South, South Africa and points scattered in between, her work constitutes a history of our time as rendered by the pen of a singular and indispensable black woman journalist."-Jelani Cobb
From the legendary Emmy Award-winning journalist, a collection of ground-breaking reportage from across five decades which vividly chronicles the experience of Black life in America today.
At just nineteen years old, Charlayne Hunter-Gault made national news after she had mounted a successful legal challenge that culminated in her admission to the University of Georgia in January 1961--making her one of the first two Black students to integrate the institution. As an adult, Charlayne switched from being the subject of news to covering it, becoming one of its most recognized and acclaimed interpreters.
Over more than five decades, this dedicated reporter charted a course through some of the world's most respected journalistic institutions, including The New Yorker, NBC, and the New York Times, where she was often the only Black woman in the newsroom. Throughout her storied career, Charlayne has chronicled the lives of Black people in America--shining a light on their experiences and giving a glimpse into their community as never before. Though she has covered numerous topics and events, observed as a whole, her work reveals the evolving issues at the forefront of Black Americans lives and how many of the same issues continue to persist today.
My People showcases Charlayne's lifelong commitment to reporting on Black people in their totality, "in ways that are recognizable to themselves." Spanning from the Civil Rights Movement through the election and inauguration of America's first Black president and beyond, this invaluable collection shows the breadth and nuance of the Black experience through trials, tragedies, and triumphs of everyday lives.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Journalist Hunter-Gault (In My Place) brings together 50 years of her reportage in this powerhouse collection. Much of the work is from the New York Times, the New Yorker, and PBS Newshour--but the earliest piece comes from a 1961 issue of The Urbanite magazine in which she provides a vivid account of the violence that occurred during the integration of the University of Georgia: "I rushed in, only to be stopped in my tracks by another crash as a Coca-Cola bottle followed the brick which had ripped through the window a moment before." "Poets Extol a Sister's Unfettered Soul," written in 1973, covers a festival in Mississippi that celebrated the life and work of poet Phyllis Wheatley; a 1975 piece from the Times highlights racial pay disparities in the U.S.; and "Postscript: Julian Bond," a 2015 New Yorker article, is an ode to the life of the civil rights activist and U.S. Representative. The most recent work is a New Yorker article from July 2021, "The Dangerous Case of Eskinder Nega," about an Ethiopian journalist imprisoned under the country's "sweeping, not to mention vague--but let's do mention it--antiterrorism law." Whether covering the TV show Black-ish or politics in South Africa, Hunter-Gault employs razor-sharp thinking and a keen journalistic eye. This solidifies her status as one of the greats. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
A distinguished journalist offers a selection of her published work over 50 years chronicling the Black experience. Growing up in Covington, Georgia, Hunter-Gault (b. 1942) dreamed of becoming a journalist like comic-strip reporter Brenda Starr. It was a seemingly impossible dream in the segregated and racist Deep South, but the author was diligent in her quest for knowledge. In 1961, she and Hamilton Holmes became the first Black students to enroll at the University of Georgia, and she graduated in two years. From the mid-1960s onward, she worked for an impressive array of publications and networks, including the Atlanta Inquirer, the New Yorker, the New York Times, NBC, CNN, and PBS NewsHour. In this thematic collection, the author comments insightfully on the decadeslong social developments and unrest in the lives of Black people in both the U.S. and South Africa. The earliest pieces look at the teachings of the Black Panthers, John Lewis' work registering Black voters, early Black urban development projects in law enforcement and education, and the widening Black-White income gap. In the second part, Hunter-Gault presents pieces about "My Sisters," including profiles of NAACP leader Margaret Bush Wilson, poet Phillis Wheatley, and Shirley Chisholm, "the first black woman member of the House of Representatives." Having spent nearly 20 years living in South Africa, Hunter-Gault also offers a unique perspective on the post-apartheid era; her 2010 New Yorker piece "The Third Man," about President Jacob Zumba, is a nuanced portrait of a troubled country and its leaders. The section titled "A Road Less Traveled" serves as an illuminating portrait of the author's upbringing and early influences, while somber commemorations in "Honoring the Ancestors" include salutes to Malcom X, Langston Hughes, Julian Bond, and Nelson Mandela. Despite chronicling periods of enormous pain and despair, Hunter-Gault ends with an upbeat, hopeful interview with David Brooks about working for "common action" since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement. A wonderful showcase of the work of an invaluable 20th-century journalist. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
American civil rights activist and award-winning journalist Hunter-Gault presents a sound collection of articles that vividly chronicles five decades of the African American and Black experience. While writing pieces for the New Yorker and working as a foreign correspondent for NPR and CNN, she was committed to highlighting civil rights issues, solutions, and Black lives during the civil rights movement. She now notes how many of the same problems continue to plague the community. She also shares commentary about people and events in Harlem, New York; her memories of living in South Africa for almost two decades; and stories about Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lewis. Throughout the years, Hunter-Gault has provided readers with stories about Black people not usually covered by mainstream media. She introduces readers to inspirational stories about fearless African American women leaders at the forefront of the women's liberation and civil rights movements, healthcare reform, and politics, including those striding toward democratic freedom during South African apartheid. My People is an inspirational collection and a must-read for aspiring writers interested in honing their craft and readers who want to become knowledgeable about Black lives past and present.
Library Journal Review
A nonchronological collection of reporting and essays, from the late 1960s through the present, by Emmy-winning broadcast journalist Hunter-Gault (New News Out of Africa: Uncovering Africa's Renaissance), who in 1961 was one of two Black students to desegregate the University of Georgia; she's been telling stories and taking part in civil rights activism ever since. Her writing vividly describes the twinning of her own embodied and intellectual lives ("Along with my clothes, I packed my racial consciousness," she writes) and documents watershed moments while retaining a clear-eyed perspective of racial narratives in the United States. In some of the texts, it's painful to see unbridled optimism countered by enduring racist efforts to whitewash history, but Hunter-Gault has organized the book in a way that balances disenchantment with hope. This collection compounds Hunter-Gault's impact by delivering a version of American history that is complex in its backward and forward glimpses and that reinforces the enduring need for telling old stories, so readers can relearn what they should have gotten right decades ago. VERDICT Hunter-Gault's book makes it easy to revisit difficult historical moments and envision better choices, better outcomes, and better futures.--Emily Bowles
Table of Contents
| Foreword | p. xi |
| Part I Toward Justice and Equality, Then and Now | p. 1 |
| Dispute Center Opens in Harlem | p. 5 |
| After-School School for Black Youngsters In Search of Heritage | p. 7 |
| Black Activist Sees New South: Lewis Seeks Funds to Help Enroll More Voters | p. 12 |
| Blacks Are Developing Programs to Fight Crime in Communities | p. 15 |
| Economist Finds Widening in Black-White Income Gap | p. 20 |
| Fighting Racism in Schools | p. 23 |
| More Negroes Vacation as Barriers Fall | p. 24 |
| Panthers Indoctrinate the Young | p. 30 |
| Police Seek "Bridges" to Harlem | p. 34 |
| Talking to Young People About Trump | p. 37 |
| Teaching the Civil Rights Movement | p. 41 |
| Today's Horrors Are Yesterday's Repeats | p. 44 |
| Urban League Director Accuses the Press of Ignoring Blacks | p. 47 |
| On the Case in Resurrection City | p. 49 |
| Part II My Sisters | p. 69 |
| 2 Black Women Combine Lives and Talent in Play | p. 73 |
| 200 Black Women "Have Dialogue" | p. 76 |
| Black Women Getting Job Help | p. 78 |
| Black Women MDs | p. 82 |
| Civil Rights Pioneer Ruby Bridges on Activism in the Modern Era | p. 87 |
| Many Blacks Wary of "Women's Liberation" Movement in U.S. | p. 92 |
| New NAACP Head: Margaret Bush Wilson | p. 96 |
| Poets Extol a Sister's Unfettered Soul | p. 99 |
| Shirley Chisholm: Willing to Speak Out | p. 103 |
| The Woman Who Will Judge Oscar Pistorius | p. 108 |
| Unlimited Visibility | p. 113 |
| Part III Community and Culture | p. 117 |
| 7,000 Books on Blacks Fill a Home | p. 121 |
| An Entrepreneur's Trucks Bring Southern Soul Food to Harlem | p. 124 |
| Church in Harlem Plays Vital Role in Community | p. 126 |
| How Black-ish Unpacks Hard Topics with Humor and Nuance | p. 129 |
| New Museum Traces Black Stage History | p. 135 |
| Street Academy Program Sends School "Walk-Outs" to Colleges | p. 139 |
| The Corner | p. 141 |
| The Professor | p. 147 |
| Woody Strode? He Wasn't the Star but He Stole the Movie | p. 152 |
| Roots Getting a Grip on People Everywhere | p. 158 |
| Harlem a Symphony for Orchestra | p. 162 |
| Part IV A Single Garment of Destiny | p. 165 |
| A Rainy Day in Soweto | p. 169 |
| America and South Africa, Watching Each Other | p. 172 |
| Ethiopia: Journalists Live in Fear of "Terror" Law | p. 177 |
| New Party Urged for World Blacks | p. 180 |
| School a Beacon of Hope in Nigeria | p. 183 |
| The Dangerous Case of Eskinder Nega | p. 189 |
| The Third Man | p. 193 |
| Revolution in Tunisia and in the African Media | p. 208 |
| Violated Hopes | p. 211 |
| Part V The Road Less Traveled | p. 225 |
| A Walk Through a Georgia Corridor | p. 229 |
| A Hundred-Fifteenth-Between-Lenox-and-Fifth | p. 238 |
| A Trip to Leverton | p. 243 |
| After Nine Years: A Homecoming for the First Black Girl at the University of Georgia | p. 255 |
| How the AME Church Helped Build My Armor of Values | p. 274 |
| Lifting My Voice | p. 277 |
| Oak Bluffs, More than a Region in My Mind | p. 282 |
| Taunts, Tear Gas, and Other College Memories | p. 287 |
| I Desegregated the University of Georgia. History Is Still in the Making | p. 289 |
| Part VI Honoring the Ancestors | p. 293 |
| A Love Affair That Lasted for Fifty-Six Years | p. 297 |
| Black Muslim Temple Renamed for Malcolm X | p. 303 |
| Columbia's Overdue Apology to Langston Hughes | p. 306 |
| Remembering John Lewis and the Significance of Freedom Rides | p. 312 |
| Mandela's Birthday and Trayvon Martin's Loss | p. 316 |
| Postscript: Julian Bond | p. 319 |
| The Death of a Friend Inspires Reflections on Mortality | p. 323 |
| When I Met Dr. King | p. 328 |
| Nelson Mandela, the Father | p. 331 |
| Epilogue: Reasons for Hope amid America's Racial Unrest | p. 339 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 345 |
