Ethel L. Payne

Tiffany Bey

Ethel Lois Payne was a female African-American journalist during the Civil Rights Movement. She was born in Chicago, Ill. and later moved to achieve a successful career in journalism. She became the first African-American female to be hired at the TV network CBS in 1972. She was well known for reporting domestic politics and international stories. She was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Inc. Today there is an award called the Ethel Payne Fellowship, given by the National Association for Black Journalists, that gives journalists who are interested in going over seas to achieve a career in journalism such an opportunity. Not only did Payne make history, she is also an inspiration to many African-American women like myself that want to have a career in the journalism field.