Gertrude Gipson Penland was an African-American syndicated

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

, nightclub owner, publicist, and civil rights activist.

Early life

Born Gertrude Estelle Lomax in Ocean City, New Jersey, in July, 1923, a Cancerian, she moved to Los Angeles as a child. Not much is known about Gipson's early years as she kept her birth date and age secret. She attended Los Angeles City College.

Career

After graduating college, she married journalist J.T. Gipson and started work as a columnist and entertainment editor for the '' California Eagle'', one of the earliest

African-American newspapers African-American newspapers (also known as the Black press or Black newspapers) are newspaper, news publications in the United States serving African-American communities. Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-Americ ...

. She achieved more success in the same position afterwards, at the '' Los Angeles Sentinel'', where she remained for more than 30 years. Gipson's Hollywood column, ''Gertrude Gipson’s Candid Comments'', was widely syndicated, featuring in around 120

. She also contributed to the '' Pittsburgh Courier'' and ''

Sepia Magazine ''Sepia'' was a photojournalistic magazine featuring articles based primarily on achievements of African Americans. The magazine was founded in 1946 as ''Negro Achievements'' by Horace J. Blackwell, an African-American clothing merchant of Fort W ...

''. In 1958, Gipson founded a social club and charity organization called the Regalettes. From the 1950s to the 70s, she owned a nightclub in Los Angeles, initially co-owning with her husband Elledge Penland. She worked and associated with performers such as Richard Pryor,

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, and Bill Cosby. Elledge Penland died in 1968. Later, Gipson was appointed to the California Motion Picture Development Council by Governor Jerry Brown, a first for an African-American woman, also serving on the Los Angeles Film Advisory Commission. Gipson also had a daily talk show covering civil rights and work opportunities in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. Gipson's 1978 birthday party, attended by many celebrities including

and

, was featured in ''

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''.

Death

Gipson died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on May 25, 1999. Her funeral was attended by many celebrities and politicians, including Los Angeles County District Attorney

Gil Garcetti Gilbert Salvador Iberri Garcetti (born August 5, 1941) is an American politician and lawyer. He served as Los Angeles County's 40th district attorney for two terms, from 1992 until November 7, 2000. He is the father of the 42nd mayor of the city ...

, L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Representative Maxine Waters, City Attorney James Hahn, Diane Watson, Barbara Boudreaux, actors

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

and Marla Gibbs, and singers Nancy Wilson,

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, Linda Hopkins, Ernie Andrews,

Howard Hewett Howard Hewett Jr. (born October 1, 1955) is an American singer–songwriter. Hewett rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the group Shalamar. In 1985, he left the group to pursue his solo career, but he later returned to the group in 2001. He sig ...

, and

Frankie Beverly Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly, December 6, 1946) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze. Beverly formed Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in his ho ...

. She is survived by a brother, Randolph Lomax, and her daughters Revė Gipson and Shontė Penland. Gipson's final resting place is

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed est ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

Honors and awards

* 1980 Image Award,

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

* Best Entertainment Section, National Newspaper Publishers Association * 1985 Woman of the Year, National Association of Media Women * Women for Good Government Award * Los Angeles

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority Award * Sugar Ray Robinson Foundation Youth Award

References

External links

Regalettes, Inc home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gipson, Gertrude 1999 deaths People from Ocean City, New Jersey Los Angeles City College alumni American civil rights activists Women civil rights activists American columnists American publicists Deaths from pneumonia in California