Harry S. McAlpin made history in February 1944 when he became the first black reporter to cover a presidential news conference at the White House.
Time magazine and The New York Times noted the milestone. And Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whoâ€™d opened the White House doors after entreaties from African-American publishers, greeted the reporter as he made his way over to the presidentâ€™s desk, telling him, â€śGlad to see you, McAlpin.â€ť
It was not a sentiment shared by McAlpinâ€™s fellow scribes, members of the White House Correspondentsâ€™ Association who for a decade had denied black reporters the opportunity to attend the twice-weekly news conferences in the Oval Office.
Rooseveltâ€™s invite did nothing to deter them. A member of the association told McAlpin heâ€™d share notes from the news conference with him if he didnâ€™t attend, suggesting that in the crush of reporters moving into the room someone could get hurt.