The first Black editor-in-chief of The Eastern Progress, Delma Francis, ’75, went on to a distinguished journalism career as a writer and editor with prestigious metro daily newspapers in several states.
Ms. Francis grew up in Lancaster, Kentucky, where she was a reporter/editor for her high school newspaper. A summer journalism workshop on the Richmond campus led her to choose Eastern, and she became Progress editor-in-chief in 1974. The student-produced campus weekly earned an All-American Award that fall semester.
Looking back on her groundbreaking year with the Progress, Ms. Francis acknowledged in a farewell column in May 1975 that she had “felt a great deal of pressure … but, with hard work, perseverance and a belief in a higher being, one can do almost anything.”
During campus Black History Month activities several decades later, she was honored along with other trailblazers who “paved the way” for the University’s diversity initiatives. A commemorative marker in front of the Keen Johnson Building and a framed photo in the Progress offices ensure that future generations of Eastern students draw inspiration from the accomplished media pioneer.
While she was at EKU, a class assignment to write a magazine-style article led to her first “professional” sale to the Louisville Times and, later, to a reporter position with the Kentucky newspaper. She went on to assume progressively responsible positions with the Louisville Courier-Journal; Hartford (Connecticut) Courant; Richmond (Virginia) Times-Dispatch, where she was the first woman to work on the city desk; and then the Minneapolis (Minnesota) Star Tribune, where she spent the bulk of her career covering education, children and families, and faith and values, among other topics. In 2007, she accepted a buyout during the sale of the Star Tribune, and has since reported for regional online news sites and freelanced, along with substitute teaching.
In addition to her EKU degree, Ms. Francis earned a master’s degree in community development and public administration from the University of Louisville.
