TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After serving in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman, the first Black student to attend Wesleyan University found fame by breaking barriers for future Black journalists in the middle of the 20th century.
Chuck Stone was a pioneer in Black journalism as his career consisted of being the first African American to pursue and found many journalistic endeavors.
Stone was the first president of the National Association of Black Journalists. He was also the first Black columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News.
Due to his criticisms on the brutality against African Americans by the Philadelphia Police Department, Stone found trust between police officers as well as criminals. He worked on covering the injustices of those involved in law.
“I was known for my outspoken views against the criminal justice system”, said Stone, in a 2005 HistoryMakers Oral History Project interview. These views allowed Stone to find fame within the criminal justice arena and continued his work into the Civil Rights Movement.
Stone was an influential figure during the Civil Rights Movement. For three years, he served as a speechwriter to Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. of 22nd congressional district of New York.
Another HistoryMaker involved in the Civil Rights Movement was Shirley Malcom. In her 2012 oral interview with the HistoryMakers, she discussed the challenges of voting for African Americans.
“That Christmas night bombing…I think it really did spur people…to get to vote and try to do things like this,” said Malcom, while recounting the bombing of Bethel Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1958.
Barriers like these did not stop Stone from achieving his dreams and fighting for racial justice. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, he began his crusade of crushing racial barriers while serving in the United States military during World War II.
“Woman said, ‘I can’t serve you.’ I said, ‘Why?’ ‘You’re a Negro.’ I said, ‘So, I don’t want a Negro, I want an ice cream soda.’”, said Stone, while discussing the segregation found within the military. Eventually, this Tuskegee Airman was given his strawberry ice cream soda after refusing to not be served simply for being Black.
Directly after WWII ended, Stone became the first Black student to attend Wesleyan University. After his admissions counselor told him that the university had no Black students, Stone knew it was the school he wanted to study journalism.
“I became president of the Student Christian Association, co-captain of the track team, I did everything, I was all over the place,” said Stone. He was a successful student and was honored with the Everett Bennett Rosa award for the outstanding junior, with a cash prize of $100.
Stone’s accolades continued into his career. He received the Thomas Jefferson award from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2002 and was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2004.
After his passing in 2014, Stone was given a special citation on the 2025 Pulitzer Prize Awards.
