Robert Maynard of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn was a creator of many firsts for African-Americans in journalism.

After serving as the first black editor-in-chief of a major newspaper, The Oakland Tribune, Maynard eventually purchased the publication to save it from bankruptcy in 1983. That purchase made Maynard the first African-American in the United States to own a metropolitan daily newspaper.

With a thirst for journalism a very young age, Maynard would skip school in order to hang out with editors from the local black newspaper, The New York Age. He would connect with writers like James Baldwin and Langston Hughes for inspiration.

During the times of limited opportunities for black journalists, Maynard began working with a local white newspaper. Of course, this posed a challenge for him, giving little to no results and a glass ceiling for challenging topics. With higher education as his next step, Maynard graduated from Harvard University, which landed him the job as national correspondent for The Washington Post. This was the first time any black person held this position. Maynard was now in a position to write freely on urban issues important to black America.

In 1976, Maynard was chosen to be one of three reporters for the final debate between President Gerald Ford and Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter. Recognizing the importance of reaching back, Maynard founded the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, a program for the training of minority journalists. He would continue to use his prominent position to help fill more newspapers with minority journalists nationwide.

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