Affirm Black Women Portrait Series: Gwen Ifill
“It is human instinct to confuse belief with truth.” - Gwen Ifill
In a white male dominated industry Gwen Ifill was the first Black woman to host the nationally televised public affairs program Washington Week. Later on PBS NewsHour, Ifill and her co-anchor Judy Woodruff became the first all-women anchor team on network nightly news until Ifill’s death in 2016.
Ifill reported on a wide variety of topics ranging from foreign affairs to U.S. politics, covered seven presidential elections, and moderated two vice presidential debates. As a moderator Ifill sought to push past punditry in favor of “bringing light, not heat” to the issues facing the nation. Her goal was ever to educate viewers that they might come away with a greater understanding of the import of current events.
I grew up watching Gwen Ifill’s reassuring coverage of turbulent times. Her firm smart warmth and dedication to truth telling is much missed.
View the complete Affirm Black Women portrait series here
“…I have dedicated my career to ensuring that the words engraved on the front of the Supreme Court building— ‘Equal Justice Under Law’—are a reality and not just an ideal.” — Ketanji Brown Jackson