// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Monroe Anderson? A monroe-umental figure, anderson-ly speaking?
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Monroe Anderson III | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 6, 1947 (age 79) Gary, Indiana |
| Education | B.A '71 Indiana University |
| Occupations | Journalist, author, press secretary |
| Spouse(s) | Joyce Owens; died 2024 |
| Children | 2 |
| Writing career | |
| Period | 1968 to present |
| Subjects | Non-Fiction- Urban and rural Black Culture, Politics, Racism, Poverty |
| Notable works | Brothers: Black and Poor- A True Story of Courage and Survival |
| Notable awards | Indiana University Media School’s Distinguished Alumni Awards leadership in journalism and television 2021. |
Monroe Anderson III (born April 6, 1947) is an American journalist, editor, and commentator who has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize four times and was the press secretary[1][2] of Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer. Anderson has held positions in magazines, newspapers, television networks, and digital platforms.
Early life and family
[edit]Anderson born to Monroe Anderson Jr. an accountant and business owner and Norman Jean Scott,[3] a domestic worker in Gary, Indiana. Anderson was raised in Gary, where he attended public schools, grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood near the Delaney housing projects, and developed an early interest in writing. After graduating from high school, he attended Indiana University Bloomington, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971.[4] Anderson has attributed his journalistic perspective to his upbringing in Gary and his later experiences living in Chicago, stating that they provided an "insider-outsider" viewpoint that informed his reporting on race, poverty, public housing, and urban affairs.[4]
Career
[edit]Anderson began his journalism career as a reporter for The National Observer. In 1968, while serving as an intern at Newsweek, he covered anti-war protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where he was attacked by police during clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.[5][6] He later worked as an assistant editor at Ebony magazine before becoming a correspondent for Newsweek.[7]
In 1985, Anderson resigned from the Chicago Tribune amid editorial disagreements, expressing concerns about the newspaper's portrayal of Black Chicagoans and what he regarded as bias in its coverage of Chicago's Black community.[8]
Later career
[edit]Anderson taught feature writing and journalism at Columbia College Chicago.[citation needed] He also served as director of station services and community affairs at WBBM-TV (CBS 2) in Chicago. During his tenure, he became the host and executive producer of the public-affairs television program Common Ground.[9][10]
In 2003, Chicago publisher Hermene Hartman appointed Anderson editor of N'DIGO, a Black community newspaper. That same year, he became editor of SaVoy magazine.[11] Anderson has also served on the board of Gilda's Club, a cancer-support organization.[12][13]
Anderson is a co-author of the nonfiction book Brothers, published by William Morrow and Company in 1988. He also contributed to Restoration 1989: Chicago Elects a New Daley, published by Lyceum in 1993, which examined the 1989 Chicago mayoral special election.[14]
From 1988 to 1989, Anderson served as press secretary to Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer.[15][16]
Anderson has contributed to the Chicago Sun-Times and The Triibe, writing about subjects including the legacy of Jesse Jackson and protests in Chicago.[17][18]
Personal life
[edit]Anderson was married to artist and professor Joyce Owens (1947–2024), with whom he has two sons.[citation needed]
Awards and honors
[edit]- Indiana University Media School's Distinguished Alumni Awards leadership in journalism and television 2021.[19]
Selected works
[edit]Articles
[edit]- Gaines, Williams & Anderson Monroe ( June 1976). Crackdown ordered on car repairs cheats: Licensed shops sought by Daley Licensing sought City orders crackdown on auto repair cheats. The Chicago Tribune.
- Anderson, Monroe (July, 1977). Trouble old and new: A civil rights giant is stumbling NAACP. The Chicago Tribune.
- Anderson, Monroe. (November 1982). Black may redo mayor script. The Chicago Tribune.
- Anderson, Monroe ( September 1983). Jesse Jackson and wolf tickets.The Chicago Tribune.
- Anderson, Monroe (February 1984). Where are good white leaders?. The Chicago Tribune.
- Anderson, Monroe. (January 2011). The Root: Braun’s bid for mayor is looking unlikely. Wbur.
- Anderson, Monroe. (June 2020). 1968: When the whole world was watching, the Chicago Police rioted. The Triibe.
- Anderson, Monroe. (February 2026). After covering Jesse Jackson for 50 years, I’m going to miss his fierce activism. The Chicago Sun-times.
Books
[edit]- Brothers: Black and Poor - A True Story of Courage and Survival (1988), ISBN 978-0-688-07622-1[20]
- Restoration 1989: Chicago Elects a New Daley (1993), ISBN 978-0-925065-09-4
- Chicago's Modern Mayors From Harold Washington to Lori Lightfoot (2024), ISBN 978-0-252-08771-4
References
[edit]- ↑ Tribune, Chicago (1988-01-15). "MAYOR`S NEW PRESS SECRETARY STEPS STRAIGHT INTO LINE OF FIRE". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Monroe Anderson | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Norma Anderson Obituary - IN". Chicago Tribune. 2005-12-24. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- 1 2 "Monroe Anderson's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "1968 Democratic National Convention: An event that lives in infamy - CBS Chicago". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ Peterson, Bill (1988-07-21). "20 YEARS AGO, CHICAGO CONVENTION EXPLODED". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ Miner, Michael (1990-08-23). "Whatever Happened to Black Power?/The Mystery of the Get-Laid Line". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ McClain, Leanita (1983-07-24). "Opinion | How Chicago Taught Me How to Hate Whites". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Monroe Anderson | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis | Don't count Obama out. Retrieved 2026-08-13 – via www.pbs.org.
- ↑ ""Monroe Anderson: Journalism's Renaissance Man"". rollingout.com. 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ Williamson, Jazmin. "Rebirth of Savoy – Howard University News Service". Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Blagojevich: Week in Review". WBEZ. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Review: Washington, Daley, and Three Other Mayors, Chicago's Modern Mayors, edited by Dick Simpson and Betty O'Shaughnessy". Third Coast Review. 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ Content, Contributed (1988-04-22). "MAYOR`S PRESS AIDE CRITICIZES TRIBUNE PHOTO". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer remembered | ABC7 Chicago | abc7chicago.com". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Monroe Anderson, Author at The TRiiBE". The TRiiBE. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ Anderson, Monroe (2026-06-10). "Is the Obama Presidential Center a modern-day pyramid? • The TRiiBE". The TRiiBE. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "5 alumni honored at Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony". The Media School. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ Anderson, Monroe (January 1, 1988). Brothers: Black and Poor a True Story of Courage and Survival (in Englis) (1st ed.). William Morrow & Co. p. 284. ISBN 978-0688076221.
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- Newsweek people
- Indiana University Bloomington alumni
- Living people
- Writers from Gary, Indiana
- Chicago Tribune people
- Columbia College Chicago faculty
- 1947 births
- Journalists from Indiana
- 20th-century American journalists
- 21st-century American journalists
- 20th-century African-American writers
- 21st-century African-American writers