She may have been the first Black female DJ in the United States, but that’s not what makes her story so powerful. Mary Dee Dudley’s love of music and community prompted her to do what no other Black woman had been able to accomplish before.
Dudley loved two things unequivocally: music and her Blackness. In 1948, she had 15 minutes to showcase both on her first-of-its-kind radio show, “Movin’ Around,” on WHOD in Pittsburgh. She did the thing because just six months later, the show went from 15 minutes to an hour. And she didn’t stop there.
With an hour of airtime to do what she wanted, Dudley continued to play the music she loved while discussing Blackness in all its forms. From interviewing legends like Cab Calloway and Jackie Robinson to discussing issues facing the Black community, Dudley pioneered the music news format.
Dudley’s show was so fire, that by 1950, she had two hours to discuss her love of all things Black. She brought on her brother, the journalist Mal Goode, and the writers Hazel Garland and Gertrude Schalk to discuss issues in Pittsburgh’s Black community. From women’s issues to Jim Crow segregation, housing, and politics, her show empowered listeners to fight for our community and the rights that all Black folks deserved.
We all have something to offer our community, something we love and can use for liberation. Dudley used her love of music and radio to empower our community. What do you love that you will share?