Congressman mourns the loss of pioneering journalist who documented the civil rights movement and served government, including as advisor to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller.

NEW YORK- Congressman Charles B. Rangel released the following statement on the death of pioneering journalist and writer Evelyn Cunningham, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 93.

“These days it seems like too many of our heroes and heroines are leaving us too soon. Benjamin Hooks. Dorothy Height. And now Evelyn Cunningham.

Cunningham was a pioneering journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier, an African American newspaper that was on the many frontlines of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. She reported on the injustices of life in the segregated South as well as the emerging civil rights movement. She also provided a spotlight to its up-and-coming leadership, from Martin Luther King to Malcolm X. In 1988, her outstanding work was officially recognized as she accepted a George Polk Award on behalf of the Courier for its civil rights coverage.

At a time when many questioned whether a woman could do a “man’s job” of reporting, Evelyn raised the bar of excellence for everyone, regardless of race and gender. Her hard-nosed reporting and commentary made that argument just plain silly. And when the opportunity arose to serve the public outside the media, she did not flinch. In my home state of New York, she held a number of civic and government roles, from an advisor and special assistant for community relations for the late Governor Nelson Rockefeller to eventually heading up the state’s’ Women’s Unit in 1969. Locally, she was a founder of the New York Coalition of 100 Black Women and nationally, she even served on President Richard Nixon’s Task Force on Women’s Rights and Responsibilities.

Cunningham kept up with journalism as it moved into the age of 24-7 cable news, the Internet and Twitter. She was still on the scene at 93, serving on non-profit boards and still writing, documenting black history by interviewing local past and present leaders with the help of area college students.

Evelyn Cunningham was a tenacious and graceful inspiration that will be missed. Perhaps now more than ever do we appreciate the spirit of the crusading newspaper reporter that not only raises the awareness of some of society’s problems, but also lays out the path for possible solutions.