Cynthia Tucker, born March 13, 1955, is an American journalist whose weekly column is syndicated by

Universal Uclick Andrews McMeel Syndication (formerly Universal Uclick) is an American content syndicate which provides syndication in print, online and on mobile devices for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and cartoons and various other c ...

. She received a

Pulitzer Prize for Commentary The Pulitzer Prize for Commentary is an award administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism "for distinguished commentary, using any available journalistic tool". It is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are ...

in 2007 for her work at the ''

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'', where she served as editorial page editor. She was also a Pulitzer finalist in 2004 and 2006.

Early years of Tucker's life

Tucker was born March 13, 1955 in

Monroeville, Alabama Monroeville is the county seat of Monroe County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census its population was 5,951. Monroeville is known as the hometown of two prominent writers of the post-World War II period, Truman Capote and Harper Lee, w ...

, the daughter of Mary Louise Marshall Tucker, a high school English teacher, and John Tucker, a middle-school principal.Cynthia Tucker
from the

Encyclopedia of Alabama The ''Encyclopedia of Alabama'' is an online encyclopedia of the state of Alabama's history, culture, geography, and natural environment. It is a statewide collaboration that involves more than forty institutions from across Alabama that share th ...

She was born during the early years of the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

, in an era of

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

; she did not attend an integrated school until she was 16. She attended

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

, where she majored in English and journalism and wrote for the student newspaper, ''

The Auburn Plainsman The Auburn Plainsman is the student-run news organization for Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. It has notably received awards for excellence from the Associated Collegiate Press and is the most decorated student publication in the history of ...

''.

Career

After graduation in 1976,Cynthia Tucker
biography from the

Universal Press Syndicate Universal Press Syndicate (UPS), a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, was an independent press syndicate. It distributed lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Eb ...

she began work for the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (AJC) as a reporter. In 1980, she left Atlanta and the AJC for a job at ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

''. Shortly thereafter, Tucker decided that she wanted to be a foreign correspondent in Africa, but the ''Inquirer'' considered her too inexperienced for the assignment. Tucker set out on her own, traveling around Africa and freelancing for six months. She then returned to Atlanta, where she was rehired as a columnist by the AJC. Tucker was a

Nieman Fellow The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University awards multiple types of fellowships. Nieman Fellowships for journalists A Nieman Fellowship is an award given to journalists by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1988. She was promoted to

editorial page An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, such ...

editor of the ''AJC'' in 1990. Tucker blogged regularly and wrote two columns a week for both the print and web versions of the AJC. Her columns were syndicated to over 40 U.S. newspapers. Those columns earned her nominations for the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2004 and 2006 before her win in 2007. She is regarded as politically liberal. In 2006, Tucker was named Journalist of the Year by the

National Association of Black Journalists The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of African-American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists, the NABJ's stated purpose is to provide quality p ...

. In July 2009, Tucker moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, as the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitutions political columnist. She is also a columnist for

The 74 The 74 is a nonprofit news website that focuses on and supports school-choice issues in the United States. Co-founded by former CNN host and education reform activist Campbell Brown, the organization's name refers to the 74 million children in Am ...

, a news website focusing on education in the United States. In 2014, Tucker moved to Mobile, Al. She is currently Journalist-in-Residence at the University of South Alabama, where she teaches classes in communication and political science.

Personal life

In 2008, Tucker adopted a baby girl, who is her only child.

References

External links

Biography
at

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Cynthia 1955 births Living people African-American journalists American columnists American bloggers The Atlanta Journal-Constitution people Auburn University alumni Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award recipients Nieman Fellows People from Monroeville, Alabama Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners American women bloggers American women columnists Writers from Alabama Writers from Atlanta Writers from Philadelphia Writers from Washington, D.C. African-American women journalists Journalists from Alabama 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women