ATLANTA (April 20, 2010) – Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) today presented Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Atlanta journalist Douglas Blackmon with a Senate Resolution commending his achievements in journalism. Author of “Slavery by Another Name,” Blackmon is The Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief in Atlanta and a celebrated writer on race in America.
“Doug’s body of work exemplifies his bravery as a writer. He tackles the issues that make us uncomfortable and uncovers the truth that many would prefer to hide, forcing his readers to face the realities of our nation’s history,” said Orrock. “He is to be commended for his passion for writing about past and present race relations in America, and for his commitment to journalistic integrity that is evident throughout his work.”
Over the past 20 years, Blackmon has written extensively about the American quandary of race, exploring the integration of schools that took place during his childhood in a Mississippi Delta farm town, lost episodes of the Civil Rights Movement, and how contemporary society should handle its troubled past. He revealed how the U.S. Steel Corporation relied on forced black laborers in Alabama coal mines in the early 20th century, which led to his first book, “Slavery by Another Name,” examining how a form of neoslavery survived in the United States long after it was legally abolished. Before winning a Pulitzer Prize for General Notification in 2009, he won critical acclaim and recognition from the National Association of Black Journalists for his stories revealing the secret role of J.P. Morgan and Company during the 1960’s in funneling funds between a wealthy northern white supremacist and segregationists fighting the Civil Rights Movement in the South.
As bureau chief, he manages the paper’s coverage of airlines and other major transportation companies and publicly traded companies and institutions based in the southeastern United States. Stories written by Blackmon and his team at The Wall Street Journal have garnered worldwide acclaim for in-depth coverage of the subprime meltdown, Hurricane Katrina, and the Florida hurricanes of 2004.
Before joining The Wall Street Journal in 1995, he served as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he covered race and politics and special assignments, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Blackmon showed promising talent for journalism at an early age, writing his first newspaper story at age 12 for the Progress newspaper in his hometown of Leland, Mississippi.
A Grant Park resident, Blackmon is also one of Orrock’s constituents. This is the second year the senator has recognized a Georgian who has won a Pulitzer Prize, a tradition she hopes to continue. She recognized Emory University instructor Natasha Trethewey during the 2009 Session, who won a Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
Sen. Nan Orrock represents the 36th Senate District, which includes portions of Fulton County. She may be reached by phone at 404.463.8054 or via e-mail at nan.orrock@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
April 20, 2010
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber, Director
Kallarin Richards, Senior Communications Specialist
kallarin.richards@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028