The Power of Her Pen

November 18, 2019
Chances were few for young women of color around the Great Depression, but when Ethel L. Payne’s (1911–1991) Chicago high school wouldn’t let a black student work on its newspaper, she got it to publish her first story; then, during college, she took writing classes at a local school that offered free tuition. After organizing locally during WWII, she seized the opportunity to become a correspondent in Tokyo and found herself with sudden global influence: “One of Ethel’s articles about black soldiers stationed in Japan had made its way across the seas.” After several years writing for the Chicago Defender, a black newspaper, she was issued White House press credentials and served through four administrations. “I’ve had a box seat on history,” she said, “and that’s a rare thing.” Folk-style portraits by Parra couple maturing images of Payne with historical emblems, and Cline-Ransome tells her story with economy and drive. “Somebody had to do the fighting,” she quotes Payne saying, “somebody had to speak up.” An author’s note and bibliography conclude. Ages 4–8.

December 1, 2019
Cline-Ransome and Parra introduce journalist Ethel L. Payne, called "The First Lady of the Black Press," to young readers. Born in 1911 to a Pullman porter and a Latin teacher, as a girl, Ethel loved the stories her elders told, reading at the library on weekends, and English class with a teacher who encouraged her writing. During World War II, she became a community organizer in her hometown of Chicago, then began writing letters to newspapers about national politics and black issues. She got a job in Japan after the war, where she learned from black American soldiers about discrimination in the military, and a friend had her diary entries from the trip published. One of her articles made headlines, and she began working at the Chicago Defender. The newspaper sent her to Washington, where she became one of only three black journalists with a White House press pass and covered six presidents, asking them tough questions about race. The lengthy text, a paragraph or two on most pages, gives a thorough treatment of Payne and her effects on national politics and culture. While the copious details are relevant, their telling feels somewhat tedious, as the various events lack a strong narrative thread to hold them together. Parra's painted, folk-style illustrations use texture and a mix of earthy colors to create distinct scenes that are stronger individually than collectively. Patient children will see another way to make a difference. (author's note, bibliography, credits, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

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January 1, 2020

Gr 2-5-African American journalist Ethel L. Payne (1911-91) "collected the stories of people who followed a path paved with dreams." Her interest in oral histories started at an early age-her grandparents shared their experiences laboring in the cotton fields under slavery, and her parents told stories of their sharecropping days. Payne may have grown up poor, but her childhood was rich in language and love. Every Saturday, Payne's mother took her daughter and her five siblings to the libraries on the white side of town. Payne's English teacher encouraged her to write, and, eventually, the all-white school newspaper published her first story. Payne lost her father at an early age and endured bigotry and discrimination. But none of these hardships stopped her from pursuing her dreams. She went to college, fought racism, and shattered barriers to become the only black female journalist in the White House briefing room. She fearlessly asked tough questions of the elected officials and helped to enact change in the country. In Payne's quest for civil rights, she became known as the "First Lady of the Black Press." Told in a matter-of-fact style, accompanied by rich acrylics, Payne's biography is brought to life for young students who may not know about the impact she made for journalists of color. VERDICT A strong addition to an elementary library biography collection.-Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY

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