NABJ Co-founder Alex Poinsett Dies

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) mourns the loss of Alex Poinsett, one of the association’s 44 esteemed founders.

Founder Poinsett, a distinguished journalist, spent three decades as a senior editor at Ebony magazine. Later he would serve as the manager of communications for Johnson Products Company managing corporate communications and writing for JPC’s newspaper.

“Alex Poinsett was a talented journalist who effortlessly told stories which gave an honest account of the black experience,” NABJ President Sarah Glover said. “His work at EBONY magazine provided depth and perspective to the coverage of black America.”

Poinsett, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois, also gained acclaim as an author. Most notable wereBlack Power Gary Style: The Making of Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher and Walking with Presidents: Louis Martin and the Rise of Political Power. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies sponsored Walking with  Presidents. The book earned Poinsett the University of Michigan Book Award.

NABJ Founder Paul Brock reflects on the memory of Poinsett.

“I had known him long before the founding meeting and I was able to talk him to coming down to D.C. for the founding meeting. We argued over the things that NABJ should be and shouldn’t be,” Brock said. “He was an excellent journalist. He could write. He wrote very very well. He was a good man.”

Poinsett’s daughter, P. Mimi Poinsett, said her father died from Alzheimer’s disease. Poinsett loved the “Peanuts” comic strip, his daughter said via Twitter, “but wasn’t able to visit us in Santa Rosa or go to the  Charles Schulz Museum.”

In addition to his daughter, Poinsett leaves behind a son, Pierre, two grandsons and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will take place in the spring, with details to be determined.

The NABJ Board of Directors offer their sincere condolences to Poinsett’s family.

For those wishing to contribute to assist Poinsett’s family, donations can be made online here.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation, and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide. For additional information please visit, www.nabj.org.