" I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith".
~Timothy 4:7 ~
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| February 23, 1947 – August 20, 2016 |
There are a number of articles written about George Curry's multi-layered and illustrious life as a crusader for many in the black community with a focus on those issues, in particular, that have had a negative impact on us. He was an outstanding and accomplished journalist and mentor for many in the field of journalism. His intent was to always make things better. What I remember the most about this amazing gentleman was his creative endeavor from 1993 to 2000 as editor-in-chief of Emerge, the magazine. I subscribed to this magazine until it became defunct. Mr. Curry was according to his fellow journalist, Roland Martin 'heartbroken' when it folded. He never gave up on the mission of that endeavor and had revived and continually supported before his death, Emerge Digital.
This giant was one of a kind and his "being" will be missed by those of us who admired his journalistic talents, truth-telling and dogged integrity when addressing those pressing, disturbing and at times catastrophic issues that black folks have endured over the years from those outside and within our communities.
There is one personal and anecdotal share on the respect and recognition this noted journalist received when invited to speak or perform leadership roles in the field. My daughter upon graduating from high school attended a program for young folks who were interested in writing/journalism. One of the major southern newspapers were co-sponsors and he was invited to speak to their group and discuss mentorship among other issues. She spoke of how much he was admired by the veteran writers, editors and newspaper folks. The fuss that went into making sure "things were right and tight" before he got there left an indelible impact on her. She was certainly impressed and is now an author and adjunct professor at Medgar Evers College and truly understands the mission he set forth in claiming and constantly improving our institutions, e.g., HBCUs and the black press.
2 comments:
Great article. I remembers Emerge magazine. I was shocked when they went out of circulation. Their articles were so good, that I thought they where going to be around forever.
Thanks Sid. I went on the Emerge Digital site and there are several other writers contributing to the online venture of Mr. Curry. We must try to support it for we need someone to advocate and tell the story behind the headlines especially in many of our communities. Most mainstream black journalists are worried about losing favor and will tread lightly.
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