On New Year’s Eve, David Michael Milliner, the longtime publisher and editor of The Chicago Defender, passed suddenly. It is unknown what caused his death.
Milliner has a close relationship with the Defender. His great-aunt and grandmother used to work in the press room for the newspaper’s founder, Robert Abbott, and his nephew John Sengstacke, who would later oversee his uncle’s publication. In the early 1970s, Milliner was employed as a photo filer and copyboy while still a teenager. In an interview with the Chicago Reader in 2000, he disclosed these specifics.
Milliner had a consistent love for the Chicago Defender—both its heritage and its identity.
“David Milliner steadfastly supported the Chicago Defender as a cherished friend, demonstrating unwavering commitment through active participation in our hallmark Men and Women of Excellence events,” said Chicago Defender Publisher Dyanna Lewis, “His profound interest in preserving the enduring legacy of the publication remains an indelible part of his legacy.”
“We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his wife Dr. Jondelle Jenkins, daughter Francesca and all loved ones during this very sorrowful time,” said Lewis.
When he welcomed television cameras to the Defender’s famous Bud Billiken Parade and brought in Oprah Winfrey, a budding broadcast journalist at the time, to join, Milliner is recognized for having contributed to the parade’s comeback to prominence.
“Bud Billiken had reached the point where it had no excitement. I was brought in to create electricity,” Milliner told The Reader.
A series of newspapers, including The Defender, were successfully acquired by Milliner and a group of investors. From January 2003 to March 2004, he worked as its editor and publisher, according to his LinkedIn profile.
