F&M Stories

Madeline Anderson is a Lancaster native and a media pioneer who is widely credited as the first Black woman to produce and direct a TV documentary. Her landmark documentary film, “Integration Report 1,” was televised in 1960 and chronicled the events leading to the first attempt at a civil rights march on Washington, D.C. Her next film, 1970’s “I Am Somebody,” told the story of African-American women hospital workers in Charleston, S.C., who went on strike to demand fair pay, unionization, and respect in the workplace.

Ms. Anderson enjoyed a long career in public television, helping to create such cultural touchstones as “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company” for Children’s Television Workshop. She was the first Black employee at National Education Television (NET), where she helped create “Black Journal” with pioneering filmmaker William Greaves. She also is the first Black woman to executive produce and direct a nationwide syndicated TV series, the PBS educational program “Infinity Workshop.”

Ms. Anderson was one of the first Black women to join the Motion Picture Editors Guild. She was twice honored by the Sojourner Truth Festival of the Arts, first in 1970 and again in 2023. She is a member of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and helped create what would become WHUT-TV at Howard University, the country’s first, and only, Black-owned public television station. Her works are archived at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Ms. Anderson was born in southeastern Lancaster City’s 7th Ward neighborhood and often expressed her desire to become a filmmaker, but was told no Black women were Hollywood producers or directors. She graduated from J.P. McCaskey High School in 1945, then worked in a factory for two years to save enough money to move to New York City. There, she received a partial scholarship to New York University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She then decided to pursue her passion for film.

Today, Ms. Anderson lives in Brooklyn where, at age 96, she is directing and editing “I’m Still Standing,” a feature documentary about her life as a filmmaker, media pioneer, and activist.

Madeline Anderson, for your pioneering work in producing documentaries and educational programs that inform and entertain; for your inspiring determination in pursuing your dream of becoming a filmmaker even when you were discouraged from doing so; and for your selfless commitment to supporting succeeding generations of Black producers, directors and journalists, Franklin & Marshall College bestows upon you the Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.

 

Madeline Anderson, 2024 honorary degree recipient