He was born May 1, 1939 in Richmond, VA. In 1959, when he was 20, he applied for a position that he wanted, badly; so badly that when he was chosen over 4 other applicants (all white) but told that to keep the job the public was not to ever see his face, he accepted it. One night while working, he decided that he wanted his family to be able to see him, so he ordered the barriers the company was using to hide him removed. The next day he was fired.
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| Max Robinson-the early years |
Such was the beginning of a long and distinguished career in news reporting for Max Robinson, the first black network news anchor.
He moved to Washington, DC, and in 1969 became the first black anchor on a local television news program. During this time at WTOP-TV Channel 9 he also became the first black anchor on a network television news program. He won six journalism awards for his work reporting on events such as the riots in 1968 which stemmed from the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. During this time he did a documentary on black life in Anacostia, DC, called The Other Washington, which won him two regional Emmys.
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| Max Robinson-World News Tonight |
Robinson used his position to fight racism wherever he felt it was necessary, including in journalism. He did not always agree with the network on how black America was portrayed in the news, and how the black viewpoint was neglected.
Max Robinson left ABC in 1984 to go to Chicago, Ill. He was the first black anchor at WMAQ, but left there in 1985.
Shortly after leaving WMAQ he was hospitalized in Blue Island, Ill. with pneumonia, where it was discovered that he had AIDS.
In 1988 he traveled back to DC to give a speech to the Howard University School of Journalism. Later that night, he was admitted to Howard University Hospital, where he died on December 20, 1988.
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| Max Robinson-the later years |
My source, and for more information:
Matt & Andrej Koymasky
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