We all felt like proud mamas of the culture upon hearing Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer for his album “DAMN” on Monday. Although K. Dot is the first rapper to receive the honor, he is far from the first black Pulitzer winner. Meet seven other black figures whose work also earned them the prestigious honor.
Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah (2018)
Ghansah, a freelance reporter and essayist, is the other black winner this year. She won the feature writing prize for her essay “A Most American Terrorist: The Making of Dylann Roof,” a GQ Magazine profile of the Charleston church bomber. Ghansah's profile landed the men’s lifestyle magazine its first Pulitzer.
Gwendolyn Brooks (1950)
Gwendolyn Brooks was awarded the prize in 1950 for “Annie Allen,” a book of poetry centering on the coming of age of a young black woman. Brooks was the first black person to receive the award.
Acel Moore (1977)
Acel Moore won the prize with Wendell Rawls Jr. for local investigative specialized reporting for his work on a piece about Farview State Hospital, a mental institution with poor conditions. Moore was also one of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists. He passed away in 2016.
Alice Walker (1983)
Noted writer and freedom fighter Alice Walker won the fiction prize for her most famous work, "The Color Purple." She was the first woman of color to win the fiction category, according to The Nation. Walker is still writing and doing activism work. Her last book was published in 2013, and she spoke at an anti-war rally on April 15, according to KTVU.
Moneta Sleet (1969)
Moneta Sleet won in the feature photography category for his shot of Coretta Scott King and her daughter Bernice during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral. Sleet was a photographer for Ebony magazine for his whole career and documented several historical movements including the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, the march from Selma to Montgomery and Malcolm X’s funeral. According to Pulitzer, he was excluded from the press list for King’s funeral. When Mrs. King found out, she threatened to bar the press from the service unless Sleet was included.
Leonard Pitts Jr. (2004)
Pitts won in distinguished commentary for his column in the Miami Herald. He has addressed many controversial topics including the death penalty, affirmative action and the impact of rap music. He continues to write about topics of the day, and one of his recent columns called out Donald Trump’s supporters for making excuses for his behavior. “No one can say what form some new disaster might take, but that one is coming seems more likely every day,” he wrote. “If and when it does come, nine out of 10 Republicans will be its authors.”
George Walker (1996)
Before Kendrick, there was George. Walker won the prize for the music category in 1996. He was the first black person to win that category. A celebrated composer and pianist, Walker has many firsts under his belt, reported The Guardian. He was the first black person to graduate from the Curtis Institute in 1954, and he became the first black musician to perform at New York’s Town Hall later that year. He is also the first to receive a doctorate from Eastman School and tenure from Smith College.
