Zelda Jackson “Jackie” Ormes was the first African American female syndicated cartoonist.
She was born August 1, 1911, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was raised by her father William Winfield Jackson who owned a printing company. Her mother Mary Brown Jackson was a seamstress.
Ormes was the arts editor for the Monongahela High School Yearbook. After high school Ormes began working at the Pittsburgh Courier as a sports reporter. When she pitched her comic strip, the Courier accepted her proposal. The Courier is a black owned newspaper founded in 1907 and still operates today.
Ormes’s first comic strip, Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem, first appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier on May 1, 1937. The strip, starring Torchy Brown, was a humorous depiction of a Mississippi teen. Whom found fame, singing and dancing in the Cotton Club in New York city. Themes for the strip included social justice, pollution, and women’s independence.
Torchy was made into collection of fashionable paper dolls called Torchy Togs.
In 1942 Jackie moved to Bronzeville, Chicago with her husband Earl Clark Ormes. Home of the Chicago defender where Ormes expanded the reach of her comics.
Earl was the manager of the upscale Sutherland Hotel. Celebrities such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Sarah Vaughn frequented the hotel. A barbershop, beauty parlor, and jazz lounge were on premises.
Jackie Ormes career and adventures continue in part two.
Cartoon character Dreama is created by Sterling Haynes.
This is how ya write about our elders.
Interesting and classy column, I had no idea she existed until today!
Be turned in for part two.
I haven’t heard of her and yet she blows my mind!
Will tune in for pt 2 to keep up with black women of history.
Always a Great life lesson to learn your history (Black History)!