How and why The Washington Post hired Michelle Singletary

Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary spoke with Kerry Hannon of Next Avenue about covering personal finance and her career.

Hannon writes, “‘Oftentimes, when you’re seen as the ‘Black candidate,’ you’re seen as subpar, that they just had to hire you because you were Black,’ she told me. ‘It was really hard with people always questioning my credentials. I had to justify myself continuously. Some colleagues at The Washington Post were talking behind my back and I asked my editor at the time: Did he hire me because I was Black?’

“The crushing answer: yes.

“‘He invited me into his office to talk about it further,’ Singletary said. ‘He went on to say, ‘I hired you because you were Black. I hired you because you’re a woman. I hired you because you have a master’s degree in business. And I hired you because you grew up in the inner city and were low-income. And all of those things make you a better financial reporter.”

“Singletary not only writes and speaks about personal finance, she also gets into the mix with it as a way of giving back.”

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