Simeon Booker
Encyclopedia
Simeon Booker is an award-winning African-American journalist whose work appeared in leading news publications for more than 50 years.
, Booker moved with his family to Youngstown
, Ohio
, when he was five years old. There, his father opened a YMCA
for African-Americans. While a high school student in Youngstown, some of Booker's stories were published in the Baltimore Afro American, a prominent Black newspaper
.
, but transferred to Virginia Union University
in Richmond
, Virginia
, when he learned that Black students were denied activity cards at the YMCA. He earned money during college by providing publicity for Virginia Union's sports teams. Booker returned to Youngstown during summer vacations and published articles about the Negro Baseball League
games there. Upon graduating with a degree in English, he took his first job with the Afro American. Booker later returned to Ohio and worked for the Cleveland
Call and Post
. Booker was offered a prestigious Nieman Fellowship
at Harvard University
in 1950–51.
. Booker is best-known for his Civil Rights era
reporting for Jet
and Ebony
magazines. His coverage of the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till
in Mississippi
and the subsequent trial is one of the most noted pieces of journalism from the era.
During his long career, Booker was recognized by his peers with numerous awards, including the Newspaper Guild Award and a Wilkie Award. In 1982 he became the first African-American journalist to win the National Press Club's Fourth Estate Award for lifetime contributions to journalism. Booker retired in 2007 at the age of 88, after serving as Jets Washington Bureau Chief for 48 years.
Early years
Born in MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Booker moved with his family to Youngstown
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, when he was five years old. There, his father opened a YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
for African-Americans. While a high school student in Youngstown, some of Booker's stories were published in the Baltimore Afro American, a prominent Black newspaper
African American newspapers
African American newspapers are those newspapers in the United States that seek readers primarily of African American descent. These newspapers came into existence in 1827 when Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-American periodical called Freedom's Journal...
.
Education
Booker graduated from high school in Youngstown and then enrolled at Youngstown CollegeYoungstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
, but transferred to Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, when he learned that Black students were denied activity cards at the YMCA. He earned money during college by providing publicity for Virginia Union's sports teams. Booker returned to Youngstown during summer vacations and published articles about the Negro Baseball League
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
games there. Upon graduating with a degree in English, he took his first job with the Afro American. Booker later returned to Ohio and worked for the Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
Call and Post
Call and Post
The Call and Post is an African American newspaper, based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1928 as a merger between the Cleveland Call and the Cleveland Post, two newspapers which had been serving the African American community since 1920. -Additional reading:*Ross, Felecia G. Jones...
. Booker was offered a prestigious Nieman Fellowship
Nieman Fellowship
The Nieman Fellowship is an award given to mid-career journalists by The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. This award allows winners time to reflect on their careers and focus on honing their skills....
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1950–51.
Journalistic career
In 1952 Booker became the first black reporter for The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. Booker is best-known for his Civil Rights era
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
reporting for Jet
Jet (magazine)
Jet is an American weekly marketed toward African-American readers, founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois...
and Ebony
Ebony (magazine)
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
magazines. His coverage of the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till
Emmett Till
Emmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...
in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and the subsequent trial is one of the most noted pieces of journalism from the era.
During his long career, Booker was recognized by his peers with numerous awards, including the Newspaper Guild Award and a Wilkie Award. In 1982 he became the first African-American journalist to win the National Press Club's Fourth Estate Award for lifetime contributions to journalism. Booker retired in 2007 at the age of 88, after serving as Jets Washington Bureau Chief for 48 years.
Further reading
- Simeon Booker, "My Jet Years — 1953-2006", 2006.
- Simeon Booker, "A Negro Reporter at the Till Trial", JetJet (magazine)Jet is an American weekly marketed toward African-American readers, founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois...
, January 1956.