Full Name Melba Tolliver Role Journalist Name Melba Tolliver | Years active 1967 - 1994 Occupation Journalist | |
 | ||
Born December 7, 1939 (age 84) ( 1939-12-07 ) Similar Richard Nixon, Tricia Nixon Cox, Marlene Sanders | ||
Early inspirations melba tolliver gwen ifill
Melba Tolliver (born 1939) is an American journalist and former New York City news anchor and reporter. She is best remembered for her defiant stance against ABC owned WABC-TV when she refused to don a wig or scarf to cover up her Afro in order to cover the White House wedding of President Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia Nixon in 1971.
Tolliver was born in Rome, Georgia. She worked at WABC as a reporter and anchor from 1967 to 1976. She then went to WNBC where she remained until 1980. She also worked at News 12 Long Island from 1986 to 1994.
Tolliver has co-hosted, with Gil Noble, ABC's Like It Is series which focused upon the Black Community. Melba Tolliver has a blog on her website and is working on a book about her experiences in the media. She is also featured in the documentary, "In Our Heads About Our Hair." In 2015 Tolliver received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Empire State College.
