Barbara Boyd

“You have a great day and stay on top of the world.” This iconic sign off by Indiana’s first Black woman broadcast journalist, Barbara Boyd, graced listeners for her 25-year career on the airwaves. Barbara Boyd began working at the Indianapolis television station WFBM, later changed to WRTV, in 1969. She worked as a broadcast journalist first and later from 1981–1984 was the news anchor for the station’s noon show. Boyd retired from broadcast journalism in 1994, though her contributions to Indiana did not end there. She was involved with many philanthropic and activist organizations, such as the Salvation Army, the NAACP, the Reach for Recovery advocacy group for breast cancer survivors, and the UNCF (United Negro College Fund). Her time not just as a reporter, anchor, and journalist but also her charitable works earned Boyd numerous recognitions later in life, including the MLK Freedom Award and induction into the Indianapolis Hall of Fame.

What Barbara Boyd is best known for and one of her most important legacies is her activism for breast cancer awareness. In 1973 Boyd gave a televised interview from her hospital bed in Community Health Hospital, where she was recovering from a mastectomy. She explained that she had found a lump during a self-examination and immediately went to see her doctor. The lump was cancerous, but Barbara Boyd discovered it early enough it could be operated on and removed safely. During her interview she also encouraged women to conduct monthly self-examinations for breast cancer and to speak to a doctor if they found any abnormalities like she had. She spoke openly about her experience, recovery, and options for treatment going forward. Her reporting helped in destigmatize discussion of breast cancer. Viewers responded to her openness, flooding the station with calls after the broadcast and encouraging Boyd to travel the country speaking about breast cancer and her experiences. She is still recognized for her role in raising breast cancer awareness and continued her activism even in retirement. She also continues to talk about her own experience and how, thanks to self-examination and early discovery, she was able to beat breast cancer. Boyd's legacy is not just as Indiana’s first Black woman broadcast journalist but also as a prominent activist for breast cancer awareness. Boyd turned 95 on April 27, 2024.

Learn more about Boyd from her 90-minute oral history, located here.