July 19th in African American History – Dale Raymond Wright

Dale Raymond WrightJuly 19, 1923 Dale Raymond Wright, award winning and barrier-breaking journalist, was born in Monongahela, Pennsylvania.

Wright served in the Marine Corps in the Pacific theater during World War II, where he attained the rank of staff sergeant. After the war, he earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University and then graduated with honors from the Ohio State University Columbus School of Journalism in 1950.

Wright integrated the newsroom of the now defunct New York World Telegram and Sun where he wrote a 10-part undercover investigative series about the conditions of migrant farms that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He later turned those articles into a book, “They Harvest Despair: The Migrant Farm Worker,” which was published in 1965. He also served as an editor of Jet and Ebony magazines. Wright’s awards include the Heywood Broun Memorial for most distinguished reporting in the United States and Canada, the Paul Tobenkin Memorial for best news writing in the U. S. on racial intolerance and bigotry, and the Gentry Award for Outstanding Achievement.

For 20 years, Wright owned and operated Dale Wright and Associates, a public relations firm serving the needs of emerging and established New York area Black businesses. He also served as press secretary and public relations director to New York politicians, including Mayor Ed Koch, Senator Jacob Javits, and Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Wright died December 13, 2009.

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