Herman Hill, born in Portland, Oregon on September 13, 1906 grew up in the Pacific Northwest where he received his basic education. He attended Broadway High School and Whitman College in Seattle Washington, then in 1927 he entered USC in southern California. The  University of Southern California, known for its  academic excellence, was known for its prowess in athletics. Being an outstanding athlete Hill thus became this first of his race ever to play on the varsity basketball team and as a member of the National Championship Track team he achieved letters in both “B-ball” as a center and in track as a high jumper. Hill proudly wore his letterman sweater with two stripes on his arm! As a member of Alpha Kappa Psi he proudly carried the heritage of his fraternity to new heights for Black men on campus. He was closely aligned with his classmate and friend Ralph Bunch, who like he attained prominence as a fighter for the cause of humanity and progress for his African American kinfolk.

 As West Coast Editor of the Pittsburgh Courier Herman Hill utilized his pen and typewriter to promote equality for “The Race”. In the years of the  1940s and 1950s the Black Press was at its height and with Hill at the helm and under his leadership, the Courier became the most read African American News Paper on the West Coast. In those days he wrote about the integration of sports,  Hollywood’s misrepresentation of his people, labor relations, politics, WWII and its affects on Blacks.

During his tenure as managing editor Hill wrote over 300 articles for the advocacy of  African American equality!