by
Betty DeRamus (Journalism Hall of Fame photo)
Betty DeRamus, an award-winning reporter and columnist who initially worked for the Detroit Free Press before going down the street to write for The Detroit News, died early Friday. She was 84.
Her passing was confirmed by close friend and former colleague Denise Crittendon in a Facebook post.
DeRamus had been suffering from signs of dementia. She died at a care center in Novi, Crittendon said.
DeRamus worked as a reporter and editorial writer at the Detroit Free Press from 1972 to 1987 and then wrote a column from 1987 to 2006. She was the author of two books about the Underground Railroad.
In 2015, she was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
The posting on the Hall of Fame page said:
During a career that spanned five decades, Betty DeRamus took readers by the hand and led them through the dizzying, sometimes scary and often uplifting human landscape of Detroit, a city she loves. She has been one of the best in the business, a journalist with a poet’s flair and a reporter’s persistence.
DeRamus wasn’t born in Detroit, but her soul was. And that soul compelled her to go out and find stories that pulse with the heartbeat of Detroit: award-winning, life-affirming stories about hard-working folks like her parents who brought her here from Alabama in the early 1940s; stories about young, empty-eyed dope dealers and the brave citizens who refused to surrender their neighborhoods and their dreams to them.
She wrote unflinchingly about race, and called both blacks and whites to task for their words and behavior. She wrote about people who ran for their lives through the underground railroad. And, she traveled across the country and across the seas to infuse life into the stories behind the headlines—stories about individuals affected by hunger in Africa or the election of Nelson Mandela or the Los Angeles riots.
DeRamus received dozens of awards.including ones from the Overseas Press Club of America, Eugene C. Pulliam Award, Writer’s Digest, Best of Gannett, Charles Steward Mott Foundation, National Association of Black Journalists, Michigan Press Association. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
An outpouring of affection for DeRamus was displayed on Crittendon's Facebook page.
Corey Williams:
A legend who inspired so many of us. So sorry to hear this.
Everett J Mitchell II:
She touched so many lives and will be remembered fondly. It was an honor to be in the same newsroom.
Angela G. King:
This is sad to hear. She was an icon among the realm of Detroit journalism. Prayers for all who knew, loved and were inspired by her.
Yolanda Woodlee:
So sorry to hear this sad news. Please accept my deepest condolences. She was a Detroit treasure. Thank you for sharing.
Sydney Pat Freedberg:
Oh no how horrible and shocking. Such a beautiful writer, a pioneer, yes and an inspiration to me.
Susan R. Pollack:
Betty was beautiful inside and out. RIP friend.
Neal Rubin:
Shootdarn. Betty was every bit as gracious as she was talented.
Jack Kresnak:
Always a class act. RIP Betty.
Anthony Adams:
An original!!!!!
Oralandar Brand-Williams:
I’m so sorry to hear this. What a Beautiful woman and human being . She meant sooo much to so many including fellow Journalists and readers. We Love You Betty.
Janice Kyser:
No words right now for the enormously talented wordsmith and woman.
