Biography William Worthy

1 biography

1.1 education
1.2 right travel controversies
1.3 civil rights activist
1.4 journalist
1.5 death , legacy

biography
education

born in boston, massachusetts, worthy graduate of boston latin high school, , received b.a. degree in sociology bates college, lewiston, maine, in 1942. worthy nieman fellow @ harvard university, class of 1957.

right travel controversies

worthy traveled china (1956–57) , cuba (1961) in violation of united states state department travel regulations. @ time entered china, worthy first american reporter visit , broadcast there since country s communist revolution in 1949. while in china worthy interviewed samuel david hawkins, american soldier captured chinese during korean war , defected china in 1953. passport seized upon return u.s. china , american lawyers leonard boudin , william kunstler represented worthy in unsuccessful lawsuit seeking return of passport. without passport, worthy traveled cuba in days of fidel castro report on cuban revolution, , upon return u.s. tried , convicted returning united states without valid passport. worthy again represented kunstler, persuaded federal appeals court overturn worthy s conviction. u.s. court of appeals fifth circuit found restrictions unconstitutional. court held government not make crime under constitution return home without passport. years later, kunstler wrote in autobiography, life radical lawyer, worthy passport case first experience arguing issue felt passionate, first time had ever invalidated statute, , success confirmed faith in justice system.

folksinger phil ochs wrote song called ballad of william worthy worthy s trip cuba , consequences.

the committee freedom of william worthy formed in 1962 , chaired a. philip randolph , bishop d. ward nichols.

worthy conscientious objector in world war ii, , in 1954 voiced opposition american involvement in vietnam after visited indo-china in 1953.

civil rights activist

during 1940s, 1950s , 1960s, worthy civil rights activist, , in 1960s outspoken critic of civil rights movement not going far enough achieve civil rights in housing , areas of american life. william worthy 1 of important political allies of malcolm x. in late 1960s, worthy organized rent strike against catholic hospital in new york city attempted tear down worthy s apartment building , turn parking lot. worthy later wrote experiences in critically acclaimed book, rape of our neighborhoods, published in 1976.

the late psychologist kenneth b. clark said of worthy: bill worthys of our society provide moral fuel necessary prevent flickering conscience of our society going out.

journalist

worthy reporter baltimore afro-american on , off 1953 1980. wrote column , covered revolutions in iran, cuba, , china. although supporter of malcolm x, critical of black panthers in 1969 column gratuitous , indiscriminate uncle tom attacks on virtually black bourgeoise , exposure law enforcement due sloppy, inefficient, undisciplined organizational follow-through .

worthy continued work in field of journalism , in 1970s appointed head of african american journalism program @ boston university. however, bu president, john silber, removed worthy head of program after worthy criticized bu administration , supported bu campus workers attempting unionize.

in 1981, luggage of worthy , 2 other journalists working him, terri taylor , randy goodman, seized fbi on return iran; , subsequently won suit on fourth amendment grounds.

following bu appointment, worthy taught journalism @ umass boston. william worthy , michael lindsey co-taught first class in critical journalism in country @ college of public , community service, branch of umass boston. noam chomsky guest lecturer.

william worthy taught @ howard university in 1980s , 1990s , held anneberg chair. during of 1990s until 2005, worthy lived in washington, d.c., served special assistant dean of school of communications @ howard u. , served on board of directors of national whistleblower center.

on february 22, 2008, nieman foundation honored worthy prestigious louis m. lyons award.

death , legacy

worthy died in brewster, massachusetts on may 4, 2014 @ age of 92, of alzheimer s disease.