[An] important and often absorbing new book . . . It’s a deep pleasure to meet Ethel Payne. ‘We are soul folks,’ she declared in 1967, ‘and I am writing for soul brothers’ consumption.’ Her own soul beams from this book. — New York Times

“A riveting biography of a groundbreaking African American journalist . . . In James McGrath Morris’s compelling biography Eye on the Struggle, this ‘first lady of the black press’ finally gets her due.” — O, the Oprah Magazine

“Morris’s research on Payne is meticulous…” — Washington Post

“[A] beautifully written and carefully researched new book.” — Chicago Tribune

“Afast-paced tour through the highlights of 20th-century African-American history, with Payne as witness.” — Boston Globe

“It is through Payne’s eyes that author James McGrath Morris deftly shows us the history of post-World War II America.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“…James McGrath Morris lifts Ethel Payne from relative obscurity revealing a fearless, intrepid journalist who covered practically every important event of her day…” — Herb Boyd, National Association of Black Journalist, Hall of Fame, inductee

Ethel Payne was a pioneer who experienced the challenges but little of the glory that comes with the title. With this book, her legacy is assured. — Paula J. Giddings, author of Ida, A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching

“A deeply researched, skillfully written biography about a previously underappreciated individual.” — Kirkus Reviews

“James McGrath Morris’s eloquent book - quite a feat of historical excavation into the black press as well - should bring her many new admirers.” — Wil Haygood, author of the bestselling,The Butler: A Witness to History

In Eye on the Struggle James McGrath Morris lifts Ethel Payne from relative obscurity revealing a fearless, intrepid journalist who covered practically every important event of her day, whether at home in the heat of the civil rights movement or traveling abroad to Africa and Asia. ” — Herb Boyd, author of Brotherman and Baldwin's Harlem

“Eye on the Struggle is an incredibly important act of historical recovery. James McGrath Morris’ penetratingly insightful biography of Ethel Payne takes us into the world of the civil rights era black press through the eyes of one its trailblazing journalists.” — Peniel E. Joseph, author of Waiting Til the Midnight Hour and Stokely Peniel E. Joseph, author of Waiting Til the Midnight Hour and Stokely

“A debt of gratitude is due James McGrath Morris for bringing the remarkable life of Ethel Payne out of the shadows.” — Pamela Newkirk, author of,Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga

The rich use of sources and glimpses of Payne’s personal life will engage readers interested in civil rights, journalism, and women’s history.” — Library Journal

“Besides reclaiming an important figure in American journalism, Eyes on the Struggle offers historical context for the journalistic role that alternative media play in current civil rights movements. . . His quest not only recounts a storied life but also reminds readers of the historic centrality of alternative media in social change.” — Journal of American History

“A well-researched, detailed look at the life of a pioneering journalist.” — The Washington Independent Review of Books

“[A] groundbreaking biography” — KamWilliams.com

“Morris is not only insightful, but also wise…” — Dallas Morning News

“Morris has written a fast-paced, engrossing biography…” — New York Times Book Review

“Biographer James McGrath Morris pulls back the curtain on an often overlooked figure of the civil rights movement with Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press.” — Fort Worth Star-Telegram

In this groundbreaking biography, celebrated author James McGrath Morris skillfully illuminates the life and accomplishments of pioneering journalist Ethel Lois Payne, while also bringing to the fore the critical role of the black press in the civil rights era.

Payne used her journalistic skills as the Washington correspondent for the Chicago Defender to elevate civil rights issues to the national agenda. In the 1950s and 1960s, she raised challenging questions at presidential press conferences about matters of importance to African Americans and the emerging civil rights movement. A self-proclaimed "instrument of change," she publicly prodded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to support desegregation, and her reporting on legislative and judicial civil rights battles enlightened and motivated black readers. At some considerable personal risk, Payne covered such events as the Montgomery bus boycott, the desegregation of the University of Alabama, and the Little Rock school crisis. She also traveled overseas to write about the service of black troops in Vietnam and accompanied American leaders on diplomatic missions to Africa.

President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized Payne's seminal role by presenting her with pens used in the signing of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. As a trailblazing black woman in an industry domi-nated by white men, she capped her career by becoming the first female African American radio and television commentator on a national network, working for CBS.

Ethel Payne's unassuming style of journalism was a key to her success. From Alabama to Ghana, from Indonesia to Vietnam, Payne's reporting eschewed the emotionless objective style coveted by mainstream publications of her time. She became for many black Americans their eyes on the frontlines of the struggle for equality in Washington, in the South, and in Africa.

The white and black presses, operating in parallel worlds, saw events differently. The white press was quick to portray civil rights legislation as munificent gifts bestowed on American blacks, while Payne's reporting focused on the failures of legislation to grant African Americans the equality that rightfully belonged to them. Ethel Payne's life and work offers readers an opportunity to see the historic events of the civil rights era through her eyes. Inspiring and instructive, moving and enlightening, Eye on the Struggle celebrates this extraordinary woman and her achievements—and reminds us of the power one person has to transform our lives and our world.