Her Story Lives Here
By The Peoples Paper MS
Dr. Elayne Hayes Anthony, the pioneering first Black female anchor at WJTV 12, trailblazing educator, and interim president of Jackson State University, passed away this morning, March 5, 2026. Her legacy of amplifying Black voices in Mississippi media and mentoring generations of journalists endures.
“Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony was a towering figure in Mississippi media, mentoring countless students with unwavering dedication during her tenure at Jackson State. Her passion for journalism and leadership as interim president will forever inspire those who worked alongside her,” said Legendary Sportscaster and JSU Graduate Rob Jay.
Dr. Elayne Hayes Anthony spent her life making media history and then turning that history into opportunity for the next generation. As the first Black female news anchor at Jackson’s WJTV 12 and later the interim president of Jackson State University, her story is rooted in Jackson’s neighborhoods, churches, and classrooms that shaped her.
Born and raised in Jackson, Hayes Anthony graduated from Jim Hill High School, where she once held the title of Miss Jim Hill, and followed in her mothers footsteps to Jackson State University, attending JSU during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
Those years deepened her awareness of struggle and solidarity, and the campus friendships she found there would guide every pathway to her career.
Broadcast journalism became her dream long before Black women regularly appeared on local news. With few role models who looked like her on television, she relied on a “village” of JSU faculty and community mentors who pushed her and reminded her that her voice mattered.
One of those doors led directly to WJTV 12. Hayes Anthony became the stations first intern, a role that turned into a full time opportunity. In time, she made history as WJTVs first Black female news anchor, reporter, and producer, bringing Black stories and perspectives into living rooms across Mississippi.
Even as she advanced in local television, Hayes Anthony kept one foot in the classroom. WJTV helped support her masters degree in educational technology at Jackson State, and mentors soon encouraged her to pursue a doctorate. She earned her PhD in organizational communication and broadcast law from Southern Illinois University in 1980, becoming the only African American in her doctoral program at the time.
She influenced students near and far. “Dr. Anthony changed the trajectory of my life,” said JSU graduate and meteorologist Paul Williams.
Today, Williams is remembering what Dr. Anthony said to him that started his journalism career.
“She looked at me and said something that has stayed with me for the rest of my life,” Williams recalled. “If you quit the day before you win, you lost just as badly as the person who never tried in the first place.”
Williams said she then slid an envelope across the desk. Inside was an internship at WDAM TV in Hattiesburg.
Dr. Anthony led the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. She also served nearly two decades at Belhaven University as professor and chair of the Communications Department, earning honors such as the Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award for her excellence in teaching.
“Dr. Elaine Hayes Anthony did not just educate tomorrow’s top journalists and thought leaders,” said Jackson Advocate Publishing Emerita Alice Tisdale. “With integrity and foresight, she groomed her students and faculty members to be ready on any given day to articulate with boldness on microphone or in writing the issues affecting the welfare of American and foreign communities.”
Dr. Hayes Anthony served as president of the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters, adding another line of “firsts” to a career defined by breaking barriers.
In 2023, she was appointed interim president of Jackson State University, a full circle moment that placed a former JSU student, journalist, and professor at the helm of one of Mississippis flagship HBCUs.
“Doc was more than a leader or mentor. She was a living legend whose life was dedicated to lifting others. Through education, broadcasting, and service, she opened doors and inspired generations to walk boldly through them. She was a trailblazer, a risk-taker, and a true innovator who believed in people and pushed us to become more than we thought possible. I was blessed to call her not only my leader and mentor but family. Her presence shaped lives, her legacy will guide us, and her spirit will forever remain in the work she inspired. She will be deeply missed. Our loss is truly Heaven’s gain,” said Pervis Parker who worked closely with Dr. Anthony.
For Black journalists and aspiring broadcasters in Mississippi, Dr. Elayne Hayes Anthony’s journey offers a roadmap. She shows what is possible when local talent is nurtured instead of dismissed. Her story reminds us that representation in the anchor chair is about more than image. It is about shifting whose stories are told, who gets to tell them, and who is prepared to lead the institutions that shape public life.
In honoring Dr. Hayes Anthony, we honor the communities that raised her, the mentors who invested in her, and the students now walking through JSUs halls who saw in her a living example of what it means to come home, give back, and change the narrative.
Details on services will follow. The Peoples Paper MS honors her service to Mississippi storytellers.
