Happy Birthday to us! Happy Birthday to us! Happy Birthday Dear Hilltop! Happy Birthday to us!
Today is a very special day for the Howard community and whether you know it or not, we should all be celebrating. This entire week has been filled with historic anniversaries and occurrences and today, Jan. 22, 2009 is no exception.
On Jan. 22, 1924, alumna Zora Neale Hurston, along with Louis Eugene King, cofounded
The Hilltop. That's right! Today marks the 85th anniversary of the country's only daily black collegiate newspaper.
For nearly 90 years, we have delivered the student voice of Howard to members of the university and its surrounding communities. And although we have experienced setbacks, like any other business, we are very proud to still be operating daily and providing you with business, technology and sports information, as well as campus, national and global news.
The Hilltop is rich in history and many prominent journalists got their starts by working for this paper. Isabel Wilkerson, the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer prize, was editor-in-chief of The Hilltop from 1981-1982 and went on to work at the New York Times as a Chicago bureau chief.
Up until the first five years of publication, the newspaper was only published bi-monthly, but in 1939, the paper became weekly. Seventy-one years later, The Hilltop began publishing weekly under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Kevin Chappell.
The Hilltop online was established in 2002 and, three years later, The Hilltop became the only black daily collegiate newspaper while Ruth Tisdale was editor-in-chief. In addition to the achievements that we have made in production and circulation, The Hilltop was also named Best Collegiate Newspaper by the Princeton Review in 1995 and 2004.
The Hilltop has also played a role in Howard's world-renowned reputation for student activism and community involvement. When Harvey "Lee" Atwater, a racist Republican political strategists, was appointed to the Board of Trustees, students led protests that caused university operation to cease.
In response to the student protests, Atwater resigned in a Letter to the Editor. The university and The Hilltop made national news. Former Editor-in-Chief Monica Lewis even appeared on Nightline and the Montel Williams show to discuss a controversial editorial that was published.
Our staff consists of students from all different walks of life, with majors varying from biology to journalism. Not only do we take pride in what we do, but we strive to please our readers by informing you of what goes on daily in the world around you.
The Hilltop staff is very proud to celebrate our 85th anniversary and we look forward to 85 more years of service to the global community.
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