Era Bell Thompson

Era Bell Thompson
Portrait of Era Bell Thompson from the collection of Black Women Oral History Project.
Born
Era Bell Thompson

(1905-08-10)August 10, 1905
DiedDecember 30, 1986(1986-12-30) (aged 81)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materMorningside College
Occupation(s)Writer, editor
AwardsRoughrider Award

Era Bell Thompson (August 10, 1905 December 30, 1986) was an American writer and editor.

Thompson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to an African American family, the only daughter of Steward "Tony" Thompson and Mary Logan Thompson, the children of formerly enslaved people. She graduated from the University of North Dakota (UND), pursued a career as an author, and was a long-time editor and journalist for Ebony magazine in Chicago.

Thompson was a recipient of the governor of North Dakota's Roughrider Award, and a multicultural center at UND is named for her.