Skip to main content

Paired Texts > Ethel Payne, 'first lady of the black press,' asked questions no one else would

by James McGrath Morris 2011

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

Constance Baker Motley Taught the Nation How to Win Justice
Constance Baker Motley Taught the Nation How to Win Justice
Tomiko Brown-Nagin

In "Constance Baker Motley Taught the Nation How to Win Justice," the author describes the often overlooked impact of Constance Baker Motley's legal contribution on the civil rights movement in Birmingham.

Pair “Constance Baker Motley Taught the Nation How to Win Justice” with “Ethel Payne, ‘first lady of the black press,’ asked questions no one else would” and ask students to discuss the important contributions both women made. In “Constance Baker Motley Taught the Nation How to Win Justice,” why were people drawn to the courtroom to watch Motley work? How was Motley’s work as an attorney critical to the Civil Rights Movement? What specific skills and attributes did she have that made her work all the more impactful? How do these skills and attributes compare to those of Ethel Payne as outlined in “Ethel Payne, ‘first lady of the black press,’ asked questions no one else would?” In what ways did both women have to push the boundaries in order to make progress on Civil Rights issues and topics? Why do you think their work and contributions are not more well known?

10th Grade Informational Text 1240L
The Journalist
The Journalist
J. Patrick Lewis

In "The Journalist," a Chinese American journalist discusses how she uses her platform to address injustices in America.

Pair “The Journalist” with “Ethel Payne, ‘first lady of the black press,’ asked questions no one else would” and ask students to discuss the common themes in both texts. In “The Journalist,” how does the narrator view their work as a journalist? How do they feel their Asian American identity plays a role in that work? In what ways are the themes of the poem reflected in “Ethel Payne, ‘first lady of the black press,’ asked questions no one else would?” How did each journalists’ race impact their work as journalists?

8th Grade Poem
Help us now
Help us now
The Sun Herald

In "Help us now," local reporters call for more federal assistance with relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. Pair “Help Us Now” with “Ethel Payne, ‘first lady of the black press,’ asked questions no one else would” and ask students to discuss how the author of an article impacts how it is written. In “Help Us Now,” what argument does the editorial board for the Sun Herald make? In what ways do the authors’ identities as residents of South Mississippi impact the content and tone of the article? How were they able to speak to the conditions after Katrina in a way that non-local reporters couldn’t? In “Ethel Payne, ‘first lady of the black press,’ asked questions no one else would,” Payne asserts that as a member of the Black press she is a member of an advocacy press. How do both texts show the importance of journalism serving as an advocate under certain circumstances? Should journalists separate themselves from their reporting? Why or why not?

10th Grade Opinion 1230L