Ernest Harold “Ernie” Pitt

DECEMBER 19, 1945 – OCTOBER 23, 2026

Ernest Harold “Ernie” Pitt, a loving father and grandfather, pioneering newspaper publisher, Vietnam veteran and longtime community leader, passed away of natural causes on October 23, 2026. He was 80.

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Ernie was raised in Greensboro, where family, faith and the civil rights movement helped shape his lifelong commitment to his community. He participated in demonstrations against segregation and attended the 1963 March on Washington, where he heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Ernie graduated from Dudley High School in 1964 and attended North Carolina A&T State University, where he studied architecture. He later served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. His path eventually brought him to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned his journalism degree in 1974.

That same year, Ernie co-founded The Winston-Salem Chronicle, beginning a publishing career that would span more than four decades. In its earliest days, he took on nearly every task necessary to keep the newspaper moving: reporting, editing, selling advertisements, printing and delivering papers. He believed that the lives, achievements and concerns of Black people deserved thoughtful, thorough coverage—and that a community newspaper should both celebrate its readers and hold those in power accountable. He led The Chronicle with that conviction.

As it grew into an award-winning publication, he gave journalists the resources and freedom to pursue meaningful stories, helping generations of reporters develop their voices and careers.

For 43 years, under his leadership, The Chronicle documented everyday accomplishments alongside consequential struggles for justice, including early reporting that questioned the case against Darryl Hunt, who was later exonerated. His publishing endeavors also included The Black College Sports Review, bringing wider attention to historically Black colleges and universities and their athletes.

A life of service, faith and family

Ernie’s commitment to Winston-Salem extended beyond the newspaper. Through community awards, youth basketball, the visionary “youth hawker” program, an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast and Family Day celebrations, he helped create spaces where people could gather, recognize one another and take pride in their community. He also supported the development of the National Black Theatre Festival and served as chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem.

His public service also brought one of the most difficult chapters of his life. A case involving a housing-authority land transaction led to his conviction and imprisonment. Ernie challenged those convictions, and in 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned both convictions.

The experience brought profound personal hardship. In the years that followed, Ernie continued leading The Chronicle and spoke openly about the place of faith and forgiveness in his life. His family remembers his perseverance through that period as an enduring expression of his strength: the determination to keep moving forward, remain connected to others and continue contributing to the community he loved.

In 2022, his contributions to journalism and the Black press were recognized with his induction into the North Carolina Media & Journalism Hall of Fame.

For all his public accomplishments, his family held a central place in his life. He shared 42 years of marriage with Elaine Lynch Pitt, with whom he raised their three children, Khalilah, Jaeson and Wali Pitt. Throughout his career, Elaine was the business manager of the newspaper, working tirelessly behind the scenes to help build and sustain The Chronicle, playing an integral role in the newspaper’s success and the life they built together.

He delighted in being a grandfather to Kwesi Covington and Ahzir Pitt, the children of Jaeson, and Zuri Lou Pitt and Namaari Pitt, the children of Wali.

Faith was an enduring part of his life. Ernie was raised in Shiloh Baptist Church in Greensboro. In adulthood, he continued to nurture his spirituality at St. Paul United Methodist Church and, more recently, Clemmons United Methodist Church.

In retirement, Ernie enjoyed spending time with family and friends, smoking cigars and nights out on the town. He always welcomed a healthy debate and enjoyed a respectful back-and-forth with people whose views differed from his own. He shared his later years with his partner, Vicki Gordon, and enjoyed spending time with her family.

He was preceded in death by his siblings Josephine Williams, Gertrude Phillips, Annie Ruth, Patricia Anne and James Edward Pitt. He leaves to cherish his memory his children, Khalilah Pitt, Jaeson Pitt and Wali Pitt; his four grandchildren, Kwesi Covington, Zuri Lou Pitt, Ahzir Pitt and Namaari Pitt; his former wife, Elaine Lynch Pitt; his brother, Clarence Allen Pitt (Lydia), special nephew, Michael Pitt (Debra); his partner, Vicki Gordon; and extended family, friends, former colleagues and generations of people touched by his work.

Ernie leaves a lasting legacy in the stories he helped tell, the journalists he encouraged, the community he served and the family he loved.

Honoring Ernie’s Life

SERVICE INFORMATION & MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Carolina Blue attire

The family invites everyone attending the services to wear Carolina Blue in Ernie’s honor.

Viewing

Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 1–4 p.m.

Russell Funeral Home — 822 Carl Russell Avenue, Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Visitation

Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 5–7 p.m.

Clemmons United Methodist Church — 3700 Clemmons Rd., Clemmons, NC 27012

Funeral service

Friday, November 6, 2026 | 11 a.m.

Union Baptist Church — 1200 N. Trade Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Private interment

Monday, November 9, 2026

Salisbury National Cemetery — 501 Statesville Blvd., Salisbury, NC 28144

In lieu of flowers

The family invites contributions in Ernie Pitt’s memory to the NC Black Publishers’ Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

Visit give.unc.edu/donate, select the Fund Search tab and enter fund number 242809. Look for “NC Black Publishers’ Scholarship (242809)” and click Give Now.

Contributions will support journalism students and honor Ernie’s lifelong commitment to the Black press and the next generation of storytellers.