Title
Honoring the life and legacy of Philadelphia's first Black television reporter, Trudy Haynes, for her work breaking barriers for Black women in the field of journalism.
Body
WHEREAS, Trudy Haynes was born Gertrude Daniels on November 23, 1926, in New York, NY; and
WHEREAS, While growing up, Mrs. Haynes did not have the intention of starting of a career in media. She studied sociology and psychology at Howard University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1947; and
WHEREAS, She ended up falling into media and even before she began her historic career broadcast TV, she was already a trailblazer in the industry. In the early 50's she was the first Black poster model for Lucky Strike cigarettes. She entered broadcasting in 1956 as women's editor at WCHB Radio in Inkster, Michigan and hosted a 90-minute daily program for women; and
WHEREAS, After seven years in radio, in 1963 she began her assignment for ABC owned WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Michigan, as the country's first African-American TV weathercaster. In this position Mrs. Haynes seized the opportunity to do even more, using it as a steppingstone to becoming a reporter; and
WHEREAS, In 1965 Mrs. Haynes caught the attention of KYW-TV in Philadelphia, and joined Eyewitness News in 1965, becoming the first Black TV reporter in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Haynes served many years as KYW 3's entertainment reporter and also hosted several public affairs programs including The Trudy Haynes Show, Sunday Magazine and Sunday Side Up. She also covered local politics, City Hall developments and school board meetings; and
WHEREAS, Throughout her career she has interviewed news and entertainment celebrities from President Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Sylvester Stallone, Denzel Washington and Tupac Shakur. She also initiated a news segment called "Trudy's Grapevine," a tongue-in-cheek celebrity gossip spot; and
WHEREAS, Haynes would stay at Eyewitness News for decad...
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