When retired journalist Dorothy Butler Gilliam heard about the mass layoffs at the Washington Post in early February, the news stunned her. The Post hired Gilliam in 1961 as its first Black woman reporter, and the newspaper remains dear to her heart for many reasons.
“It made me very sad, even upset, because I know many people read the Post and depend on the Post, and this certainly is one of those times when we need some balance in the information that’s available,” she says.
The veteran reporter, who is 89, felt compelled to act, sending a donation of $10,000 to a GoFundMe created for laid-off Washington Post Guild members. Her gift ties two other $10,000 donations for the fundraiser’s top givers—one by journalist Kara Swisher and another by an anonymous patron. So far, the campaign has raised nearly $594,000.
Gilliam says she made the gift because “I was inspired by the people who work at the paper who continue to make a significant difference in the city.”
Gilliam worked as a reporter at the Post from 1961 until 1965, when she left to freelance and take care of her three children. In 1972, she returned as the Style section’s assistant editor and remained with the newspaper until her retirement in 2003. Trailblazer, Gilliam’s 2019 book about her groundbreaking career, helped introduce a new generation of journalists to her work diversifying American newsrooms.
During a journalism career that began during the Civil Rights movement and lasted more than 50 years, Gilliam experienced discrimination—and it made it her mission to change it. In 1977, she helped establish the Maynard Institute to train journalists and advocate for increased diversity in American media. The longtime DC resident also created the Young Journalists Development Program at the Post, which offered mentorship to DC-area high school students for nearly 20 years.
In the wake of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI push, Gilliam’s lifelong goal to “make the media look more like America” has faced setbacks including the Post layoffs, which the Washington Post Guild reports disproportionately affected journalists of color.
Gilliam calls the recent shift in newsroom demographics “very, very disappointing, because it’s important for the readers of the Post to read diverse opinions.”
Having witnessed so many pivotal events in recent American history, Gilliam says that the current moment feels “particularly alarming.” Still, she remains resolute about the importance of activism in the face of adversity. “It’s important for me not to let the things that are happening stop me from doing those things that I know are correct, those things that are positive, those things that can help,” she says. “That’s why I’m glad I was able to make a reasonable, monetary contribution.”
Dara T. Mathis is a journalist and nonfiction writer who joined Washingtonian in Fall 2025 as an Editorial Fellow. A 2024 recipient of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize, she resides in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
