First Black woman hired at The Washington Post donates $10K to support laid‑off workers

Dorothy Butler Gilliam, the first Black woman hired as a reporter at The Washington Post, has donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign supporting recently laid‑off newsroom employees. She made the contribution soon after learning about the paper’s February staff cuts.

The layoffs affected roughly one‑third of the workforce and shuttered several newsroom sections.

Donation Among the Washington Post  GoFundMe’s Largest

Gilliam’s gift is one of three $10,000 contributions, alongside donations from journalist Kara Swisher and an anonymous supporter, according to Washingtonian.

The fundraiser has collected nearly $596,000 for Washington Post Guild members.

Gilliam said the layoffs saddened her because readers rely on the Post for balanced information. “It made me very sad, even upset,” she told Washingtonian.

Dorothy Butler Gilliam: A Trailblazing Career Rooted in Advocacy

Gilliam, 89, joined the Post in 1961, becoming the paper’s first Black woman reporter. She worked there until 1965, returned in 1972 as an assistant editor in the Style section, and remained until her 2003 retirement.

Throughout her career, she pushed for newsroom diversity. She co‑founded the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in 1977 and later created the Young Journalists Development Program, mentoring D.C.‑area students for nearly two decades.

Concern Over DEI Setbacks

Gilliam said the recent layoffs reflect broader setbacks in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across media. Since the current Trump administration has pushed to eliminate DEI many groups of color were disproportionately affected.

She said her lifelong goal of helping newsrooms “look more like America” has become harder to achieve in the current climate.

Why She Donated

Gilliam said she felt compelled to help because she was “inspired by the people who work at the paper who continue to make a significant difference in the city,” according to Washingtonian.

She added that supporting laid‑off journalists aligns with her decades‑long commitment to expanding opportunities in the industry.

To learn more about the fundraiser, visit the verified GoFundMe page.