For more than four decades, Daphne Taylor served as a journalist, a mentor and the voice of a community.
Taylor, a Riviera Beach native and a longtime South Florida journalist, died Sept. 1 from a sudden illness, Donique Lorick, her sister, said in an interview Sept. 5. Taylor was 63.
In the wake of her death, family, friends and colleagues are remembering Taylor for her journalistic talents and for her commitment to the community.
“Daphne was amazing,” said Sandy Collier, owner of a local public relations firm. “She was a true journalist in every sense of the word. She told the story beyond the story. It wasn’t just about breaking news for her. It was always about her community.”
Daphne Taylor’s broadcast journalism program mentored girls in Palm Beach County
Taylor spent more than four decades in journalism, working in television, radio and print media, most recently working as a freelance journalist. Her work has appeared in various media outlets, including the South Florida Times.
“Working in the field of journalism and media for Daphne was a work of heart,” Lorick said. “She didn’t make a lot as a freelance reporter, but she didn’t give it any less. She put her all into her career.”
In addition to her work as a journalist, Taylor was the founder of WGRL, a mentorship program that she created in the late 1990s to teach broadcast journalism to at-risk girls.
“Ms. Daphne L. Taylor was a great mentor,” one woman wrote in a post on Facebook. “WGRL was one of the greatest opportunities a young girl could have. We loved her and all she stood for. She literally made me speak up!”
Taylor graduated from Suncoast High School and earned a journalism degree from Florida State University. Her career included stints as an intern for NBC in Washington, D.C., and as a national correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, according to an online profile.
Collier said Taylor loved using her platform to help others.
“She was entrenched in her community and wanted the best to come out of her community,” Collier said. “She said sometimes, if she didn’t tell a story out of her community, people would never know. … She loved helping people. That was so important to her.”
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mentor, storyteller, community voice: South Florida journalist Daphne Taylor dies at 63
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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