Background
Raspberry, William James was born on October 12, 1935 in Okolona, Mississippi, United States. Son of James Lee and Willie Mae (Tucker) Raspberry.
Raspberry, William James was born on October 12, 1935 in Okolona, Mississippi, United States. Son of James Lee and Willie Mae (Tucker) Raspberry.
Bachelor of Science in History, Indiana Central College, 1958; Doctor of Humane Letters, Indiana Central College, 1973.
He was also the Knight Professor of the Practice of Communications and Journalism at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University. An African American, he frequently wrote on racial issues. After earning a Bachelor of Surgery in history at the University of Indianapolis in 1958, he continued to work at the local weekly Indianapolis Recorder where he"d begun in 1956, rising to associate managing editors
He was drafted and served as a United States. Army public information officer 1960-1962.
The Washington Post hired him as a teletypist in 1962. Raspberry quickly rose in the ranks of the paper, becoming a columnist in 1966.
Raspberry supported gay rights, writing at least one column condemning gay-bashing. He argued against certain torts and complaints from the disabled.
Ragged Edge, a disabled-rights publication, published complaints from letters to the editor that the Post did not print.
He retired in December 2005. He provided the Washington Post a guest column on November 11, 2008, commenting on the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States. As of 2008, he was president of "Baby Steps", a parent training and empowerment program based in Okolona, Mississippi.
Raspberry is an alumnus of Okolona College.
He is the author of Looking Backward at Us, a collection of his columns from the 1980s. Raspberry died of prostate cancer on July 17, 2012.
He was 76.
Board visitors University Maryland School Journalism, since 1985. Board advisors Poynter Institute for Media Studies, 1984-1994. With United States Army, 1960-1962.
Member National Press Club, Capital Press Club, Kappa Alpha Psi. Clubs: Gridiron.
Married Sondra Patricia Dodson, November 12, 1966. Children— Patricia D., Angela D., Mark J.