Georgia Gilmore was a cook at the National Lunch Company in Montgomery, Alabama. There is also a museum called American Beach Museum also in Florida. Today you can still visit American Beach located on Amelia Island in Florida. MaVynee remembered the importance of American Beach to her family and so many others, so determined to preserve this integral piece of American history, she began her second act as an activist and conservationist, ultimately saving the place that had always felt most like home. But her first love would always be American Beach.Īfter the Civil Rights Act desegregated public places, there was no longer a need for a place like American Beach and it slowly fell into disrepair. It's here that MaVynee was first inspired to sing, propelling her to later become a widely acclaimed opera singer who routinely performed on an international stage. Buying a beach is a total boss move! 🙌🏾 Am I right?!Īrtists like Zora Neale Hurston and Ray Charles vacationed on its sunny shores. Knowing something must be done, her grandfather (Abraham Lincoln Lewis) bought a beach that African American families could enjoy without being reminded they were second-class citizen he called it American Beach. But in the days of Jim Crow, she couldn't just go to any beach-most of the beaches in Jacksonsville were for whites only. This biography picture book tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an African American opera singer turned environmentalist and the legacy she preserved. Ethel Payne died in 1991 at the age of 79. In 2002, Payne was one of the four journalists honored with a U.S postage stamp. Payne’s information was used by the Defender, which was a popular, national newspaper among African Americans.Īs her career progressed, Payne earned a reputation as an aggressive journalist who asked tough questions.
The reporter was amazed by Payne’s writing skills and brought the journal back to Chicago. She allowed a visiting reporter from the Chicago Defender read her journal, which gave details of the experiences that she and black soldiers endured while in Japan.
She began her journalism career while working as a hostess at an Army Special Services club in Japan.
Payne was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 14, 1911. Not only did Payne report about American domestic politics, she also covered several international stories as well.
Known as the “First Lady of the Black Press,” Payne also became the first female African American commentator employed by a national network when CBS hired her in 1972. Payne was a columnist, lecturer, and writer who combined advocacy with journalism while reporting on the civil rights movement during the 50’s and 60’s.
0 kommentar(er)
