By Sun-Times staff

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell — whose fearless voice has been a force for good in the city and its African American community for decades — will scale back her workload but still write periodically for the paper and serve as a consultant to its editorial board, the newspaper announced Wednesday.

Mitchell, 70, began working for the Sun-Times in the early 1990s, covering education and City Hall before becoming a full-time columnist and editorial board member in 1996. Since then, she’s worked tirelessly to fight discrimination, combat domestic violence, hold politicians accountable and inspire others by chronicling her battle with breast cancer.

“My career at the Sun-Times has been a dream come true,” Mitchell says. “I’m grateful to the newspaper and its readers for the 29 years that I’ve been allowed to be a voice for the voiceless, and I look forward to passing this mantle to new voices.”

Mitchell’s family was part of the Great Migration, moving from Mississippi to Chicago before Mitchell entered elementary school. An identical twin, she grew up with eight other siblings in public housing on the South Side. She graduated from Dunbar High School in 1967 and spent 20 years working as a legal secretary.

After being passed over for a promotion, Mitchell enrolled in writing courses at Columbia College. This led to her interning at the Sun-Times in 1990 and being hired after getting her journalism degree in 1991. Her journalism honors include the Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists, the Studs Terkel Award from the Chicago Media Workshop and numerous Peter Lisagor Awards from the Chicago Headline Club.

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