An article I wrote for The Douglas Review in May.
Veteran journalist April Ryan perfectly exemplifies the sentiment expressed by the actor Eddie Cantor that āit takes twenty years to become an overnight success.ā Ms. Ryan has toiled for exactly 20 years as the White House correspondent forĀ American Urban Radio NetworksĀ (AURN) ā an outlet barely known outside the African-American community, but prominent within it as the only Black-owned radio company in the nation. Ryan previously spent a decade working her way up the chain to news director at several other radio outlets.
On May 2, theĀ National Association of Black JournalistsĀ announced that it has named Ryan its āJournalist of the Year,ā inducting her into the ranks ofĀ legendary news prosĀ like Ed Bradley, Carl T. Rowan, Max Robinson, Gwen Ifill, and Bernard Shaw. Over most of her time at AURN, Ryan has been the only Black female in the briefing room. Therefore, to the eye that notices such things, she stands out. Yet, she is the kind of old-fashioned news professional who has never sought to be the story. She has climbed quietly, but steadily through sheer doggedness and hard work, reporting on and recording private interviews with three presidents, and increasingly as a guest on Sunday morning news shows.
But recently,Ā several dust-upsĀ with the new president and his press secretary have catapulted Ryan into the national spotlight. President Trump famously asked Ryan in February if she could set up a meeting between the White House and the Congressional Black Caucus, andĀ Sean SpicerĀ compounded the impression of a tone-deaf administration when he scolded her for āshaking her headā at one of his answers. This set off a Twitter firestorm (#BlackWomenatWork) and a national conversation about how Black women are treated in the workplace.
Still, she persisted.
It looks like Ryanās hard work has paid off. Early in April,Ā CNN announcedĀ that it has signed her as a political analyst.
Welcome, Ms April Ryan, to the national stage.
