Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Eustace Gay, 1971.Biographical NoteEustace Gay was born in Barbados on May 2, 1892. He attended both primary and secondary school in Barbados and went into the newspaper business after graduating from high school, first working at a local daily paper called The Ivory Cultural Reporter. At age 20, Gay moved to New York City and soon relocated to Philadelphia. There he continued with his career in journalism and eventually became the executive editor of the Philadelphia Tribune, where he worked closely with Eugene Washington Rhodes. Gay also devoted time to the Playground Recreation Association of America, served as president of the board of the Pennsylvania Baptist Congress of Christian Education, was involved with the Boy Scouts of America, for which he was awarded the Silver Beaver Award, and was an active member of Philadelphia's Zion Baptist Church, where Leon Howard Sullivan was the minister.
Scope and ContentsGay discusses his early life and education at a public school in Barbados and how he began his career in journalism with no formal education in the field. He then describes his career and his perceptions of the black press in detail, including: what makes news; the impact of the Philadelphia Tribune on the advancement of black political and social causes in Philadelphia; the neglect of the white press to cover minority news; the political stance of the black press; the role of the black press in inspiring youth; and the effects of the 1968 Kerner Commission Report on journalism.
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