Today In Black History
Max Robinson, Award-winning Journalist, and ABC News Co-Anchor
Issue #556 Today In Black History, Monday, April 8, 2024
Today’s Black History WOW!
Max Robinson, born on May 1, 1939, in Richmond, Virginia, was a trailblazing journalist and news anchor who made history as the first African American to anchor a network news broadcast in the United States. A talented student, he later attended Oberlin College where he served as president of the freshmen class. He later attended Indiana University and eventually earned his degree from Virginia Union University. Robinson served in the Air Force and eventually received an honorable discharge due to a medical condition.
Robinson began his career in broadcasting in the 1960s, working at several local television stations before landing a job at WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C. In 1978, he made history when he became the co-anchor of ABC World News Tonight, alongside Peter Jennings and Frank Reynolds.
Robinson was also the first African American to anchor a local news program in Washington, D.C. He was also one of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Robinson’s first journalism job began and ended in 1959 when he was hired to read news at a Portsmouth, Va., television station. Although the station selected him over an otherwise all-white group of applicants, it still enforced a color barrier by projecting an image of the station’s logo to conceal Robinson as he read the news. He was fired the day after he presented the news without the logo obscuring his face.
Robinson moved quickly to nearby WRC-TV, where he won awards for coverage of race riots and a documentary on life in poor urban neighborhoods. He was hired back by WTOP as its first African American news anchor in 1969 and stayed there until 1978.
In 1978, Robinson was selected by ABC executive Roone Arledge to become the co-anchor of ABC News. He served in this capacity until 1983. Despite his success, Robinson was sensitive to racism and its negative impact on him and other Black journalists. During his time at ABC Robinson clashed with the management of ABC News over what he (Robinson) saw as the one-dimensional, often negative, portrayal of Black Americans. He was also known for his erratic behavior, frequently failing to report to work. By 1981 Robinson had developed a dependency on alcohol and was diagnosed with depression. His career suffered. By 1985, he was reduced to anchoring the weekend news and news briefs in Chicago.
Max Robinson’s younger brother Randall Robinson was the founder of the anti-apartheid organization TransAfrica and a strong advocate for Haitian immigrants.
Max Robinson was married three times and had four children.
He died on December 20, 1988 from complications due to AIDS. While speculation surrounded his sexuality in the weeks and months following his death, during his life, Robinson denied being gay or bisexual. Rev. Jesse Jackson gave the eulogy at Robinson’s funeral service.
Today In Black History
- In 1960, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was organized.
- In 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record when he hit #715 in the Atlanta Stadium. Aaron hit a total of 755 home runs during his career and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
- In 1975, Frank Robinson became the 1st African American baseball manager, when he was chosen to manage the Cleveland Indians.
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