Oral history interview with Isaiah Poole, 1954-

Isaiah Poole discusses his career as a journalist and advocate for newsroom diversity, including founding the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and the Washington Association of Black Journalists.

1982 - 2003

Poole describes struggling as a young adult in Washington, D.C., to reconcile his gay identity and Christian upbringing; finding community in the local prayer meetings organized for African-American gays and lesbians by Dr. James Tinney; and taking part in the early activities of Faith Temple, which formed in 1982 under Tinney's leadership. He recounts details of his early career as a journalist and an advocate of newsroom diversity, which included roles in founding the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and the Washington Association of Black Journalists. After nine years at the Washington Times, the departure of other gay-identified staff from the newspaper prompted Poole in 1991 to take a new position at LifeLink, an advocacy organization for people living with HIV. He later resumed his journalism career, met his current spouse, and completed a university degree in New York.

Washington, D.C.

No.

Yes, recording available, MP3.