Hidden Figures: Libby Clark #BlackHERstoryMonth 9/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Libby Clark #BlackHERstoryMonth 9/28

Libby Clark was a trailblazing Black female journalist, food and religion writer for the Los Angeles Sentinel for 50 years, and editor of the “Black Family Reunion Cookbook.” She was the first Black American licensed in the state of California to run a public relations firm, and also one of the first Black food writers to become syndicated. A native of Chester, Pa., she was a 1945 graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism where she was one of only four Black journalism students. She was the first Black woman to write for the Chester Times and later worked for the Pittsburgh Courier’s west coast bureau. Clark came to Los Angeles in 1949 with her journalism degree from Columbia, but was repeatedly rejected in attempts to land a reporting job with the Los Angeles Times and was turned away from attending an event at the then-segregated Los Angeles Press Club. After being thoroughly humiliated by the Times and the Press Club, Clark became the first Black American licensed in the state of California to own a public relations firm. It was called Libby Clark Associates, a PR business she operated for the next 50 years. She also founded Femme, one of the first magazines geared towards Black women and mothers, in the 1954. Part of her founding of 'Femme' was meant to demonstrate Black American women's multi-million dollar purchasing power. She joined the Sentinel, where she wrote about food and religion in The Los Angeles Sentinel for 50 years, becoming one of the first Black food writers and editors to become widely syndicated. As a syndicated food writer, her column appeared in more than 150 papers. She was awarded the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award on her 85th birthday. She co-wrote and edited the “Black Family Reunion Cookbook,” which was commissioned by the National Council of Negro Women. More than 250,000 copies of the book were bought and it was included on best-seller lists in 1991. In 1969 Clark became the first African-American public information officer hired by the county of Los Angeles to serve as such for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital. Clark died at 94 from Alzheimer’s Disease. #LibbyClark #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: 'Trailblazing Black Female Journalist Libby Clark Dies at 94:' https://www.adweek.com/digital/trailblazing-black-female-journalist-libby-clark-dies-at-94/ 'Libby Clark To Publish FEM, New Magazine For The Girls:' https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26686106/libby_clark/ The Black Family Reunion Cookbook: https://books.google.com/books?id=9z_HoPCogJQC&pg=PR8&lpg=PR8&dq=libby+clark+african+american&hl=en#v=onepage&q=libby%20clark%20african%20american&f=false 'Libby Clark, former Courier reporter and pioneering Black journalist dies:' https://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/2012/02/10/libby-clark-former-courier-reporter-and-pioneering-black-journalist-dies/ 'Libby Clark, Veteran Black Press Food, Religion Writer, Dies at 94:' https://web.archive.org/web/20181230035315/https://www.afro.com/libby-clark-veteran-black-press-food-religion-writer-dies-at-94/ Libby Clark (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libby_Clark