Payne broke new ground as the Washington correspondent for the Chicago Defender; publicly prodded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to support desegregation; and reported on legislative and judicial civil rights battles, enlightening and activating black readers across the nation. In 1972, she became the first female African American radio and television commentator on a national network, working for CBS. Her story mirrors the evolution of our own modern...

"The three girls formed an indelible bond: roaming their community in search of hidden treasures for their 'Thing Finder box,' and hiding under the dining room table, eavesdropping as three generations of relatives gossiped and played the numbers. The girls spent countless afternoons together, ice skating in the nearby Lake Meadows apartment complex, swimming in the pool at the Ida B. Wells housing project, and daydreaming of their futures: Dawn a...