Can you describe some of the important content in your book?
The book is a memoir, and I am its main character. Significantly, however, the book contains an extraordinary amount of history — civil rights, Black women and journalism history — and details the beginning of such organizations as the National Association of Black Journalists and those with whom I joined to found the Institute for Journalism Education, which has trained thousands of minorities to become journalists. Both organizations exist to this day and are continuing their work to promote training and employment in media across all platforms.
What motivates you and why?
I am motivated by a deep desire for justice and a belief that every human being has a God-given right to live, grow and develop spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and physically.
What books are you currently reading, and why this particular writer?
I am reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Hal Cone. I am reading this book by Cone, a theologian, because it is a searing social critique of White Christianity and the need for Black liberation and is especially relevant in today’s America. Yet, the book advocates love and hope for redemption if White America can overcome its blindness to the terror and violence of White supremacy.
To learn about Gilliam, her distinguished career and her new book, visit www.dorothybgilliam.com.
