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 oth ...

. 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'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'', where she served as editorial page editor. She was also a Pulitzer finalist in 2004 and 2006. Tucker is on the board of jurors for the

Peabody Awards The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

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. Several notable writers were born in Monroeville. History Occupied for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, this area ...

, 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 of Alabama, geography, and natural environment. It is a statewide collaboration that involves more than forty institutions from across ...

She was born during the early years of the Civil Rights Movement, in an era of

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

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

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

, 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 hi ...

''.

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 ...

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'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

''. 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 Fellowship is a fellowship from the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. It awards multiple types of fellowships. Nieman Fellowships for journalists The Nieman Fellowship is an award given to journalists by the Nieman ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1988. She was promoted to

editorial page An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

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 a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and professional organization of African Americans, African American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 197 ...

. In July 2009, Tucker moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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 The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963 and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alaba ...

, 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 Journalists from Philadelphia Journalists 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 writers 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women