Gwen Ifill Passed Away!

Gwen Ifill, the host of PBS Newshour and Washington Week passed away.

We've lost a legend.

Gwen Ifill, the host of PBS NewsHour had passed away today of cancer. She was 61 years old. A remarkable woman of color who covered Washington, DC like no other. She was at the forefront of a journalism vanguard as a Black woman in a field dominated by white men.

She co-hosted NewsHour with Judy Woodruff and broke ground by being an all-female anchor team on a network nightly news.

Gwen was the daughter of Caribbean immigrants. She wanted to cover the news since the younger ages. She was a native of New York City. She grew up in Jamaica, Queens. She was the fifth of six children.

She was the host of Washington Week and worked both positions. She had an opportunity to gain national recognition as a debate moderator.

She hosted two vice presidential debates. She hosted the 2004 debate between then Vice President Dick Cheney and then senator John Edwards. She also had an opportunity to host the 2008 debate between then senator Joe Biden and then Alaskan governor Sarah Palin.

Back in 2007, bigot talker Don Imus was caught up in scandal where he called the Rutgers women's basketball team a bunch of "nappy headed hos". He called Gwen Ifill the "cleaning lady".

She handled this with such class.

She had covered the White House and Congress and was praised from both sides of the political aisle.

She took a month long leave from PBS without disclosing her medical condition. I am guessing she had terminal uterine cancer.  

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence came out with condolences today.