NAMIC Announces Cheryl Wills as 2024 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award Honoree

Emmy Award-Winning Journalist to be Recognized at Annual NAMIC Conference

NEW YORK CITY , NY, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) today announced that Cheryl Wills, an Emmy Award-winning journalist from Spectrum News NY1, will receive the 2024 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award. This award is among the highest honors in the media, entertainment, and technology sectors, recognizing outstanding philanthropic contributions and commitment to advancing the concerns of people of color.

The award will be presented at the Annual Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, October 23, during the 38th Annual NAMIC Conference at the NY Marriott Marquis.

As the first African American woman to host a prime-time nightly newscast for the cable network, Wills anchors the Emmy-nominated broadcast “NY1 Live at Ten” weeknights. She has been with NY1 since its launch in 1992 and is one of the station’s most recognizable journalists for breaking news and special coverage. She is also the talk show host of the weekly public affairs program, “In Focus with Cheryl Wills,” where she interviews the most powerful newsmakers and celebrities in the country.

Wills, a renowned journalist and author, has also penned a series of books documenting her family’s journey from slavery to freedom in the United States. “Die Free: A Heroic Family Tale,” “The Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills,” “Emancipated: My Family’s Fight for Freedom” and “EMMA” all chronicle the heroic service of her 3x great-grandfather, Sandy Wills, as a member of the United States Colored Troops during The Civil War. More than a century after his death, Wills fought to recover his remains from an unmarked grave on a former slave plantation and recommitted with full military honors at West Tennessee State Military Cemetery in Memphis.

On March 25, 2011, Wills made history as the first journalist invited to speak at the United Nations General Assembly Hall for The International Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, broadcast live around the world on UNTV.

She has been honored numerous times during her more than 30 years as a journalist. In 2023, Wills was awarded the prestigious Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media. She also has received awards from The New York Press Club, The Newswomen’s Club of New York, and The Associated Press, and she received a special medal from the United Nations Correspondents Association, personally presented to her by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. City & State Magazine hailed Wills as one of New York’s most “remarkable women,” and she was profiled in the award-winning 2020 book “She is Me: How Women Will Save the World.”

Wills is most proud to be the Commander and Lifetime Descendant Member of the New York Chapter of the Sons and Daughters of the United States Colored Troops, a national organization of Civil War descendants who raise awareness about the 200,000 Black soldiers who bravely served during The Civil War. She is also a graduate of the prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

NAMIC
NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the media and technology industries. NAMIC envisions a world where companies lead and excel with a diverse workforce, inclusive workplace, and equitable practices, resulting in authentic representation in their content and products. NAMIC has over 2,500 members in 18 chapters nationwide and focuses on leadership development, advocacy, and empowerment. For more NAMIC information, visit www.namic.com and follow @NAMICNational on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Davana O'Brien
NAMIC
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