NABJ Chicago Mourns Passing of George Curry, Champion of Civil Rights, Black Press

29 Aug, 2016

by Maudelyne Ihejirika, Chicago Sun-Times

The Rev. Jesse Jackson describes legendary commentator, author and black press champion George Curry, as “talented, tough, tenacious.”

Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton adds to that: “a tireless crusader for justice, and a true agent of change.”

And Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield calls him “a giant in journalism [who] stood on the front lines of the Civil Rights era and used his voice to tell our stories when others would not.”

Accolades poured in with news of the sudden passing of Mr. Curry, of Laurel, Md., who died of heart failure on Aug. 20. He was 69.

Mr. Curry spent 10 years with the Chicago Tribune, from the early 80’s through early 90’s, and helped launch the Exposure, NABJ Chicago’s lauded mentoring program for Chicago Public Schools teens.

“He asked us to write a grant proposal to the Tribune Foundation,” recalls NABJ Chicago Board Member Art Norman. “He said, ‘We must identify and nurture potential journalists before college.’ With George’s help, we were awarded a $10,000 grant for our Exposure Program. He then asked Tribune reporter Alan Johnson to lead it. Many of us will never forget his commitment to those high-school students.”