c. 1949-
Joan Whitlow, now retired, has been called the first full-time Black woman reporter at the Star Ledger. She was also the first Black woman to be medical editor in the country. Joan wrote on health, education and the Newark city government. Joan worked for the Ledger from at least 1973-2011 and she had a weekly column for many years. She joined the Editorial Board in 1995.
Joan was embedded in Newark City Hall for many years, writing about government under three mayors.
Joan grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where her school locker was spotlighted by the Plain Dealer and featured on WJW radio in 1966 and 1967. She was also Class Secretary.
Joan has received multiple awards and nominations for her journalism coverage including from the New Jersey Press Association.
Bibliography
Press Release, Oct 8, 2016, Newark Library
“Veteran journalist…” NJ Spotlight News and here
“100 years of 100 things” WNYC
Star Ledger database, newspapers.com
“Assignment Newark City Hall” Star Ledger Mar 9, 2005
“Here’s a locker shocker girls” Plain Dealer Jun 17, 1966
Radio selections Plain Dealer Nov 20, 1966
1967 yearbook, Ancestry.com
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nabj.org/resource/resmgr/NABJ_JournalArchives/NABJ_JournalSum06.pdf
Kukla, Barbara Defying the Odds: Triumphant Black Women of Newark