Oh, to be recognized by “Panhandle slim!”

February 8, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

What does Wanda Lloyd have in common with the following people? Dolly Parton, Malcolm X, President Barak Obama, Prince, Jesus, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Oscar the Grouch. Like the names above, as of today Wanda Lloyd is the subject of a painting by Panhandle Slim, a local artist in Savannah whose […]

Why we celebrate Black HIstory

February 7, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

When I was executive editor of the Montgomery Advertiser, I began one of my Sunday columns in this way in 2006: “As a child in grade school one of the annual events I looked forward to each February was Black History Week. Growing up in segregated schools in my southeastern Georgia community in the 1950s […]

I’m a winner

September 11, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Coming Full Circle made it to the Best New Journalism Books I’m happy to announce that my memoir, “Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism” made it to BookAuthority’s Best New Journalism Books:https://bookauthority.org/books/new-journalism-books?t=hb3q3r&s=award&book=1588384071BookAuthority collects and ranks the best books in the world, and it is a great honor to get this kind of recognition. Thank […]

Sharing my stories with students at Baylor U.

September 10, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

When I set out to write my stories and document my journey in journalism, leadership and as an advocate for media diversity, one of my goals was to share my stories with young people, especially young women starting out in their careers, and also students who are aspiring communications professionals. I had the opportunity to […]

Recognizing Black Georgia Authors

June 20, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

To celebrate Juneteenth 2020, Georgia Center for the Book included me on the graphic of Black Georgia authors for my memoir, “Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism.” Can you find my name? This from the @GaCntr4TheBook Twitter post: “As we celebrate Juneteenth, we would like to take a moment and reflect upon the […]

A Conversation about racism and hope on The Celeste Stein Show

June 20, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

It was my pleasure to join my Spelman sister on her radio program, the Celeste Stein Show (June 6, 2020). We talked about what may a paradigm shift in racism in America and our views about racism. This event was recorded a few days after the tragic death of George Floyd, the African American man […]

REPEAT: A call for Conversations about Race

June 12, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

In January 2018 an essay I wrote was published in the Savannah Morning News, my hometown newspaper. I was in the middle of writing my recently published memoir, “Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism,” and the subject of conversations across racial lines was on my mind. I wanted to help open a dialogue […]

Savannah native talks about another look at the racial divide

June 7, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Thanks to Savannah Morning News columnist Jane Fishman for this piece in Sunday’s newspaper. https://www.savannahnow.com/entertainmentlife/20200606/jane-fishman-savannah-native-wanda-lloyd-talks-about-another-look-at-racial-divide

“Coming Full Circle” — A Seat at the Table

April 6, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I was encouraged and challenged by two fellow writers — Sheila Soulcare Battle and Stacy Hawkins Adams — to read an excerpt from my memoir, “Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism.” On a beautiful spring afternoon, I ventured out to our patio and settled in to record this brief reading from the chapter […]

‘Out of an Abundance of Caution … ‘

March 14, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

The emails and calls came in one after the other over the the past few days. In most cases they began with this statement: “Out of an abundance of caution …” To be sure, coronavirus is affecting every American institution, including the book tour I launched in February for my new memoir, “Coming Full Circle: […]

Remembering MLK, Jr., at Dexter King Church in Montgomery

January 20, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

My memoir, “Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism,” includes a story about the experience of being invited to speak at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, the church pastored by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., shortly after I moved to Montgomery and became executive editor of the Montgomery Advertiser. On that Sunday morning […]

The colors of “Amazing Georgia”

October 14, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

As I work at slowing my pace in retirement years, one of my passions now is coloring. No, not with crayons like I did as a child, but with pencils or gel pens. The whole new trend of adults turning back to coloring is something many people in my Boomer generation may want to try […]

The unveiling of my memoir review copy

October 9, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

The day I unsealed the small white box that held the galley copy of my memoir, I was thankful I had the foresight to ask my husband to capture the moment. “That’s a moment you can never get back,” an author friend told me when she saw the video posted on social media. Now that […]

‘If you ever get another newsroom, call me’

September 11, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

On August 9, 2019, the day I was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame, my friend and former colleague Terry Manning wrote perhaps the nicest and certainly the most extensive tribute about my career and our professional relationship. It is, of course, also a good piece of writing. Terry […]

On becoming a Hall of Famer

August 17, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I’m delighted to share this great moment. This event took place on August 9, 2019. Video acceptance: https://youtu.be/66kcv7hFviU

Justice, redemption: My letter to the editor

July 17, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

After all the years of being “the editor” of a local newspaper, it is a thrill to have one of my letters published by my local newspaper, the Savannah Morning News. Here’s the link. https://www.savannahnow.com/opinion/20190716/letters-to-editor-wednesday-justice-redemption-for-local-lynching-victims

My Women’s History: ‘How did you get here?’

March 25, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

This is my final weekly blog post related to Women’s History Month. The posts have been about accomplishments and lessons from women in my village. These are excerpts from my upcoming memoir Coming Full Circle: Jim Crow to Journalism. At the Providence (RI) Evening Bulletin, in my first newsroom job there were two professional women journalists […]

My Women’s History: ‘Time passes, but will you?’

March 18, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

In March for Women’s History Month I am presenting weekly blog posts about accomplishments and lessons from women in my village. These are excerpts from my upcoming memoir Coming Full Circle: Jim Crow to Journalism. Our black teachers in segregated schools gave us life lessons with no apologies. Their instruction went way beyond reading, writing and […]

My Women’s History: Meeting a higher standard

March 11, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

In March for Women’s History Month I am presenting weekly blog posts about accomplishments and lessons from women in my village. These are excerpts from my upcoming memoir Coming Full Circle: Jim Crow to Journalism. Saturday afternoon shopping during the 1950s and 1960s with my grandmother on Broughton Street, Savannah’s main downtown thoroughfare, was always a […]

My Women’s History: Eye contact and firm handshakes

March 4, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

In March for Women’s History Month I am presenting weekly blog posts about accomplishments and lessons from women in my village. These are excerpts from my upcoming memoir Coming Full Circle: Jim Crow to Journalism. My mother, Gloria Walker, began her career working in retail sales at Camp Stewart (later Fort Stewart), a Georgia military […]