Fay M. Jackson : the sociopolitical narrative of a pioneering African American female journalist

Abstract

During the 1920s and 1930s, Fay M. Jackson broke traditional barriers by serving as the first African American foreign correspondent for the Associated Negro Press (ANP). Jackson was the only African American female reporter of the ANP who covered the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and used the opportunity to report on the sociopolitical affairs of Blacks in Europe while specifically underscoring the Italio-Ethiopian conflict. While in Europe, Jackson set out to meet with various political figures and activists of color to emphasize the parallel treatment between Blacks in the U.S and other communities of color outside the U.S. Furthermore, Jackson started Flash the first Black intellectual news weekly magazine on the west coast, in 1928,and became a political news editor for the California Eagle in 1931. She served as the first African American female Hollywood correspondent with accreditation from the Motion Pictures Directors Association. Jackson used her positions to re-contextualize the identity of Black America by advocating for progressive reform inside and outside Hollywood. The following research will create a sociopolitical narrative of Jackson's career by analyzing the political and social statements made by her as a publisher, editor, and correspondent. Little research has been done on the role of African American female journalists in American history. Therefore, Jackson's importance is further accentuated by the fact that she was one of few women who forged a way into the Black Press. Jackson is a voice that has gone virtually unnoticed with scant acknowledgments of her career and contributions to the Black experience in America. This thesis will be the first scholarly work to highlight Jackson's efforts in developing the Black identity by participating in the formulation and expression of the Black political consciousness during the 1920s and 30s.