JULIET ALEXANDER
Journalist • Broadcaster
Juliet Alexander is a Hackney native and pioneering journalist and broadcaster who helped make history in British television as a presenter of Ebony, the UK’s first Black news and current affairs magazine programme.
Born in Guyana, Juliet Alexander moved to the UK in 1965 and grew up in Hackney. Her journalism career began locally as a teenager, when she submitted articles to the Hackney Gazette, under an alias that concealed she was a Black woman. She later secured a position at the newspaper, becoming its only Black and only woman reporter during her five years as a junior reporter. In 1982, Alexnder became one of the presenters of Ebony, marking the historical launch of the nation’s first Black news and current affairs magazine programme. The programme provided a national platform for Black British stories, voices and perspectives.
Why Hackney Matters
In 2026 she returned to Dalston CLR James Library to be recognised on the Hackney Writers Legacy Steps whilst representing the Huntley Archives as its former chair and current trustee. Reflecting on the recognition, Alexander described feeling “blessed, honoured and quite emotional” to have a step bearing her name at CLR James Library. Also saying that she “never imagined” she would one day be honoured in this way and expressed her pride at being recognised as one of “Hackney’s finest.”
Did You Know?
Before Ebony, Alexander worked as a reporter for BBC John Craven’s Newsround, one of the BBC’s best-known programmes for children.