Evelyn Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Evelyn Cunningham was an American journalist and aide to Nelson Rockefeller
. Cunningham covered the early civil rights movement and was a reporter and editor for the Pittsburgh Courier
. Cunningham and the paper's staff were awarded the George Polk Award in 1998 for their coverage.
was an influential presence during and in the years preceding the civil rights movement. Cunningham joined the Courier in 1940 working from the Harlem
office at 125th street. She earned the nickname the "lynching editor" due to her extensive coverage of lynching
s in the deep south. While at the Courier she attempted to interview Bull Connor, but he denied her with a racial epithet.
She also met with a number of civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr.
and Malcolm X
. Cunningham wrote a 3 part series on the King family from those meetings.
in New York.
in 1965 as a special assistant to the then governor. She maintained this title in Washington during his vice presidency. She also served on Nixon
's Task Force on Women's Rights and Responsibilities.
In the 2000s, Cunningham was appointed to the New York City Commission on Women's Issues by Michael Bloomberg
.
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
. Cunningham covered the early civil rights movement and was a reporter and editor for the Pittsburgh Courier
Pittsburgh Courier
The Pittsburgh Courier was an American newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which was published from 1907 to 1965. Once the country's most widely circulated Black newspaper, the legacy and influence of the Pittsburgh Courier is unparalleled.A pillar of the Black Press, it rose...
. Cunningham and the paper's staff were awarded the George Polk Award in 1998 for their coverage.
Pittsburgh Courier
The largest black newsweekly at the time, the Pittsburgh CourierPittsburgh Courier
The Pittsburgh Courier was an American newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which was published from 1907 to 1965. Once the country's most widely circulated Black newspaper, the legacy and influence of the Pittsburgh Courier is unparalleled.A pillar of the Black Press, it rose...
was an influential presence during and in the years preceding the civil rights movement. Cunningham joined the Courier in 1940 working from the Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
office at 125th street. She earned the nickname the "lynching editor" due to her extensive coverage of lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
s in the deep south. While at the Courier she attempted to interview Bull Connor, but he denied her with a racial epithet.
She also met with a number of civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
. Cunningham wrote a 3 part series on the King family from those meetings.
Radio program on WLIB
After leaving the Courier, Cunningham began to host a radio show of her own on WLIBWLIB
WLIB is an urban contemporary gospel AM radio station located in New York City. WLIB is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WBLS...
in New York.
Political aide and later career
Cunningham joined Nelson RockefellerNelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
in 1965 as a special assistant to the then governor. She maintained this title in Washington during his vice presidency. She also served on Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's Task Force on Women's Rights and Responsibilities.
In the 2000s, Cunningham was appointed to the New York City Commission on Women's Issues by Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
.