Empire State University Honors Trailblazing Journalist Melba Tolliver With Honorary Degree

Empire State University recognized Melba Tolliver ’98 with an honorary Doctor of Humane letters degree at the university’s commencement ceremony on Friday, May 29 in Albany, NY. Tolliver, who graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Science degree in cultural studies, is an acclaimed African American journalist whose career reshaped representation in American media.  

Tolliver began working as a registered nurse before pivoting to broadcast journalism at a time when African American women did not have a presence on national television. During a WABC-TV network strike in 1967, she became one of the first African American women to anchor a major television broadcast, beginning a storied career at WABC, WNBC and News 12 Long Island. Tolliver later covered the White House wedding of Tricia Nixon in 1971 wearing her natural hair, which challenged prevailing norms of that time.  

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