When thinking of notable alumni, Elinor Tatum is definitely a name that comes to mind. She graduated from St. Lawrence in 1993, majoring in government studies. As a New York City resident prior to SLU, the change of pace between places was definitely drastic. From the city that never sleeps, to Canton, we can all attest to the fact that there is a clear adjustment period.
Tatum was born and raised in New York City in her childhood home. She attended Hunter College Elementary School and then moved on to SLU. After SLU, she travelled to Sweden to study International Relations at Stockholm University. She was always one to take her academics very seriously.
After Sweden, she returned to New York City to work with her father at the New York Amsterdam News. She initially began as the Assistant to the Publisher, which entailed reporting for the paper and filing stories. She went through many promotions in the company, from Associate Publisher to Chief Operating Officer. All of these job titles were important, but she remained at this level of commitment as she was also completing her Master’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Once she completed her Master’s Degree, she was promoted to Editor-in-Chief of the New York Amsterdam News. This promotion made her one of the youngest publishers in the history of Afro-American press. In a black-owned newspaper, it is marvelous for a strong, educated black woman to be in charge. The New York Amsterdam News is one of the oldest newspapers geared towards African Americans in the United States.
As she became more secure in her career, her family life became relevant as well. Over the years, she had one daughter named Willa. Being a mother and being in charge of a whole newspaper is obviously time consuming and exhausting. I think this is a majorly impressive amount of responsibility to handle, let alone handling it well. It is all about finding the right balance, and Tatum had it down to a science.
I found Tatum’s life story very interesting and I thought it was one worth writing about due to my current job as an editor with The Hill News on campus. As a female writer/editor it was an inspiring promotion story. As a soon to be fellow St. Lawrence graduate, I am someone who hopes to work in journalism like Tatum. I am someone who also aspires to be a hard working employee once I get a job, but also a loving mother. I hope to find the same balance that Tatum did and to handle all of my priorities well. I believe that women, especially women of color, in power are influential and very inspiring. I hope to be one of those women one day who can inspire others.