Anderson, Trezzvant William, 1906-1963

Trezzvant William Anderson (1906-1963) was an author and journalist best known for reporting on the injustices and inequalities of the Jim Crow South at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. For most of his career as a journalist, Anderson was affiliated with the "Pittsburgh Courier", first as a desk reporter in Pittsburgh in 1947, and eventually as the "Courier Roving Reporter," traveling throughout the Southeastern United States. Anderson considered himself the voice of the people and often referred to himself as "your man" in his articles. His writings, as evidenced in this collection, concentrate mainly on civil rights issues such as boycotts, trials, and glaring examples of discrimination in the justice system. When Anderson was assigned to the "Courier's" Circulation Department in 1958, he would frequently overlap his sales efforts with his reporting when traveling through the Southeast. Anderson would often trade publicity through articles to increase sales and his sales staff.

A member of the 761st Tank Battalion of the U.S. Army during World War II, Anderson wrote the unit's history book "Come Out Fighting: The Epic Tale of the 761st Tank Battalion, 1942-1945." A lifelong Elks member, Anderson was the editor of their magazine "Elkdom." He was also a member of various organizations and unions such as the Washington Negro Press Club (serving as its president from 1931 to 1934), the American Newspaper Guild, and the American Federation of Labor.