Oral history interview with Alice Allison Dunnigan, 1971

Terms of Use: The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than your own private study, scholarship, or research. Any subsequent copying, downloading or distributing materials accessed by you in the Columbia University Libraries Digital Libraries Collection that are subject to copyright protection may constitute copyright infringement. In addition, Columbia University Libraries may employ technical measures to prevent any further copying, downloading, or distribution of the materials. A violation of these terms may subject you to potential liability for copyright infringement. For more information about copyright, fair use and permissions, refer to Columbia University Library’s Copyright Advisory Services at https://copyright.columbia.edu, and the Copyright & Permissions for Online Exhibitions & Digital Collections.

Name: Dunnigan, Alice Allison, 1906-1983 (Interviewee); La Brie, Henry G (Interviewer)
Title: Oral history interview with Alice Allison Dunnigan, 1971
Other Titles: Reminiscences of Alice Allison Dunnigan : oral history, 1971; Oral history of Alice Allison Dunnigan, 1971
Abstract: In this interview, Dunnigan discusses her education, her work as an educator, her move to Washington, D.C., the job discrimination she faced as a black woman, and the barriers she broke. She describes her salary at different organizations, the need in journalism to work for multiple publications to make a livable wage, and how she gained accreditation to the Senate press gallery. Other topics of di scussion include: Dunnigan’s work as a sports writer; the 1948 whistle stop train tour for President Truman’s reelection campaign; her opinions on the importance and future of the black press; and work-related trips abroad to Israel, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Canada. Publications discussed in the interview include: Louisville Sender, Service Magazine, Journal and Guide, Chicago Defender, Sepia Magazine, Louisville Defender, Louisville Leader, Afro American, Pittsburgh Courier, and the news service Associated Negro Press.
Collection Name: Black Journalists oral history collection
Subjects: Journalists; African American press; African American journalists; African American women journalists; African American sportswriters; African Americans--Civil rights; United States Race relations; Dunnigan, Alice Allison, 1906-1983; Associated Negro Press; The Louisville defender
Format: oral histories
Genre: Interviews
Date: 1971

Physical Description: sound files : digital preservation master, WAV files (96kHz, 24 bit); 51 pages
Note (Biographical): Alice Allison Dunnigan was born on April 27, 1906 in Russellville, Kentucky. Dunnigan was the first black woman to serve as a White House correspondent and the first black female member of the Senate and House of Representatives press galleries. Befor e moving to Washington D.C., Dunnigan taught history in Kentucky public schools and supplemented the required texts with her own fact sheets of African American history. These were compiled into a manuscript in 1939, and published in 1982 as The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians: Their Heritage and Tradition. During her time in Washington, Dunnigan covered the presidencies of Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1974, she published her autobiography titled A Black Woman’s Experience: From Schoolhouse to White House. Throughout her career, Dunnigan worked for publications such as the Chicago Defender, the Pittsburgh Courier, the Louisville Sender, Service Magazine, as well as the Associated Negro Press (ANP). Dunnigan was the first black member of the Women’s National Press Club. She died on May 6, 1983.
Note: Interviewed by Henry G. La Brie III on July 1, 1971.
Note (Provenance): Henry G. La Brie III Gift, 1975
Language: English
Library Location: Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Catalog Record: 11563414
Persistent URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-s7d2-6797
Related URLs: Available digital content for this interview.