Earl E. Davis Jr. was a Philadelphia artist and ABJ member who was given the task of designing a logo that emphasized the members’ African roots. 

He was a graphic artist whose page designs and illustrations enlivened The Inquirer’s Sunday Magazine for more than 20 years. He grew up in Philadelphia and began his newspaper career in 1962, three years after serving in the Army. He first designed ads for the Philadelphia Daily News, and in 1975 joined the staff of Today Magazine, which is now the Inquirer Sunday Magazine. He designed magazine pages, illustrated stories and created covers. He retired in 1993.

Earl’s artistic medium was oils, but he also painted in watercolor and experimented with unusual media, including plaster gauze. He created some landscapes, but he spent most of his time painting people. At Bright Hope Baptist Church, where he was a deacon, he taught art to children at the church’s Saturday enrichment program. He also designed church brochures and programs.

Earl passed away in November 2000.^[1]Pray, Rusty (Nov. 4, 2000). (“Earl E. Davis Jr., 68, former Inquirer artist.” via newspapers.com. Retrieved May 20, 2022.         

The PABJ paid tribute to Earl E. Davis Jr. during its “Artists Among Us” program in 2002. The sculpture and painting are works by Davis. 

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This group of journalists includes other ABJ founders and early members, as recalled by other members and banquet programs:

Harold Yates was a producer and director at KYW-TV. He became a member at the founding meeting, he said. He remembers that, he added, because it was a few days after he moved to Philadelphia and soon after he covered the election as a field producer for the news. He later created “City Lights” and other public affairs shows and documentaries. He says he hired Acel Moore, Jerry Mondesire, Karen Warrington and others to do commentary on a show hosted by Malcolm Poindexter (“Black Edition”).

Pam Haynes was listed as vice president on the ABJ’s press release from 1974. She was city editor of the Philadelphia Tribune at the time. Starting in 1970,  she wrote a popular and award-winning political column titled “Right On.” She “gained a reputation for being an outspoken reporter who was not afraid to attack the issues,” noted an article in the Tribune. Haynes penned the column while city editor. ^[2]“Pam Haynes Takes Hiatus.” Philadelphia Tribune. via proquest.com. July 14, 1981. Retrieved May 22, 2022.^[3]“Right On.” Letter to the Editor. Philadelphia Tribune. via proquest.com. April 28, 1970. Retrieved May 20, 2022.

Haynes arrived at the Tribune in 1968, working as a reporter before being appointed city editor around 1971. In December 1974, she became news editor at KYW radio. She was often a panelist on “Black Perspective on the News,” produced by Acel Moore and Reginald Bryant at WHYY-TV, and “Black Edition,” hosted by Malcolm Poindexter at KYW-TV.

Laura Murray was one of three Black interns hired by the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in 1971. A year later, she had become a general assignment reporter. She worked at the Philadelphia Daily News in the late 1970s. She later joined the Washing Star. In 1982, she was attending the Howard University School of Law in Washington, DC. ^[4]Murray, Laura (April 20, 1977). “Old Myths and Black Women.” Philadelphia Daily News. via newspapers.com. Retrieved May 22, 2022.^[5]Smith, Pamela (Jan. 29, 1982). “The Black Family.” Philadelphia Tribune. via proquest.com. Retrieved May 22, 2022.

Murray was a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association of Media Women. She also appeared as a panelist on “Black Perspective on the News.”