Andrea Burney recalls experience as first Black reporter for local newspaper recalls

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) – A Danville woman is still uncovering history and telling stories since becoming the first African American reporter for the Register & Bee newspaper in the 70s.

As Andrea Burney entered the historic Danville Register & Bee building for the first time since it became The Bee Hotel in 2020, she was reminded of her time working there as a reporter.

“It just brought back a lot of memories because I spent so many years here,” said Andrea Burney, Danville Register & Bee’s first Black reporter.

After graduating from George Washington High School in 1971, Burney attended Boston University to study journalism – a path that was written in the stars.

“My mother taught first grade and my father taught 12th grade English. He was also a part time journalist. So, I had it in my bones that I needed to go into something that included creative writing,” said Burney.

During her junior year, she received recognition from the American Newspaper Publishers Association – an effort by the company to diversify newsrooms.

Several big newspapers from across the country gave her job offers, including the Register & Bee.

She considered moving to a big city, but it was her dad who encouraged her to return to her hometown.

“My father said, ‘no, you really need to come back home so that you can show people that there are black people who can write, who can tell stories, and can be professional about it.’ So, I took his advice, but my professor at college just thought I was crazy.” added Burney.

Burney started at The Register & Bee in June of 1975 when The Register and The Bee were two separate papers.

It was on her first day, during a conversation with the custodian in the elevator, that she realized she would be the company’s first Black reporter.

“I said to him, ‘how many other African Americans are here in this building?’ and he gave me the funniest look. He kind of laughed, and I’ll never forget that. He said, ‘just you and me.’ And I was just floored, because I’m coming from a big city like Boston, and used to seeing all types of people. Even though I grew up in this community, it still was kind of a shock,” explained Burney.

During her time there, she covered many topics from crime to education – and built strong relationships with fellow reporters her age. But with her older coworkers, it was a different story.

“A lot of them had some concerns. We had one person who had a hard time pronouncing the word Negro. But it didn’t bother me because I understood which generation he was from. I just had in my mind to be professional and to do the best job I could and continue to tell the stories,” said Burney.

After working at the Register & Bee for four years, she moved away to pursue editorial and PR work.

But when her father passed, she moved back home and took a job at Danville Community College.

There, she worked to increase minority enrollment and encourage future generations to break barriers with grace.

“Think about your professionalism. As you go through the door, you want to leave it open for the next person. You want that next person to have an even better experience than you did,” said Burney.

Today, Burney is still telling stories through documentaries and word of mouth – preserving the history she already made.

She recently helped produce a documentary called The Tale of Three Northside Danville Neighborhoods about the untold stories of the Black communities that helped shape the area.

Source link