The Personal Is Political
Vernon Jarrett, "Dean" of Black Journalism
A little over a year ago I lost one of my most important mentors and one of my favorite people in the world, the journalist, civil and human rights activist/advocate, historian and innovator Vernon Jarrett. Among his many achievements, he created the NAACP ACT-SO competition (of which I was a participant in high school). He is one of the few men I've ever known to lie about his age -- it wasn't until we found his license after he died that we realized he was born in 1918, not 1921 as he had been telling us for so long!
He is also one of the most prolific students of history I've ever known. There was never a time I saw him when he didn't have a Black history fact. He'd say, "Sabrina, do you know what today is? Today is the anniversary of(fill in substantive but often obscure Black history fact here)!"
I really miss him. I miss the historical void that is left in his absence. I am humbled that I knew him and I internalize and uplift his legacy.
Why am I posting this now? Because the Center for Communications and Community, a communications think tank that examines the intersection of race and community, has just posted a compelling interview with him, his last. It's a pdf and long-ish, but check it out if you get the chance.
Vernon Jarrett: Journalist, Scholar and Activist