Recognizing and Celebrating the Impact of Iconic Black Journalists

The Guardsman celebrates Black History month. Illustration by Kate Malch. By Kateryna Malch kmalch@theguardsman.com  katrina.malch@gmail.com Since 1976, the United States has celebrated Black History Month, dedicating February to black people’s memorable contributions and outstanding achievements. Their resilience and brilliance, from leaders and innovators to artists and activists, have profoundly shaped our world today. Each year, there is a unique theme for the celebration, this year’s being  “African Americans and the Arts.” The Guardsman complied the legacies of pioneering African American journalists in and out of the Bay Area to honor and recognize their achievements. Ida B. Wells Ida B. Wells by Mary Garrity. Public Domain. Ida Bell Wells was an iconic figure in American investigative journalism, as well as an educator, suffragist, and an early leader in the civil rights movement.  Wells was one of the most influential and pioneering figures in the field of journalism. Born into slavery on Jul 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Wells defied racial and gender barriers to become a prominent civil rights activist and investigative journalist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Wells fought for women’s suffrage, particularly for Black women. In 1909 she co-founded the National Association for the Advancement...