Charlayne Hunter-Gault to Receive Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award at 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference

Charlayne Hunter-Gault to Receive Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award at 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference

Award-winning Journalist And Author To Be Honored In Conjunction With General Session Focused On New Media's Effect On The Political Process Scheduled For Tuesday, September 16th

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) has named award-winning journalist and author, Charlayne Hunter-Gault as the recipient of the 2008 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award. Presented in conjunction with the Annual NAMIC Conference, the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award was established in 1992 in memory of the late Congressman from Texas and his lifelong advocacy of social justice and equality for people around the world. Scheduled for September 14-16, 2008, the 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference will be held in Manhattan at the New York Marriott Marquis.

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NAMIC will present the 2008 Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award to Hunter-Gault in conjunction with a compelling General Session scheduled on Tuesday, September 16 focused on new media's effect on the political process. John Norris, correspondent, MTV News will moderate the session, which features a panel comprised of Pamela Gentry, senior political producer, BET Networks; Lee Hawkins, contributor, CNBC and reporter, Wall Street Journal; Roland Martin, journalist and syndicated columnist; Maria Teresa Petersen, founding executive director, Voto Latino; and Sree Sreenivasan, dean of Student Affairs, Columbia University School of Journalism and tech reporter, WNBC-TV.

Since the inception of the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award, NAMIC has continued its tradition of honoring individuals and organizations affiliated with the communications industry that demonstrate a commitment to advancing concerns of people of color. An Emmy award-winning journalist, author and school desegregation pioneer, Hunter-Gault made civil rights history as the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Georgia in 1962.

"We are pleased to continue paying tribute to Congressman Leland's legacy, by honoring Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a trailblazer and champion of diversity and inclusion within the field of journalism and the global community," said Kathy Johnson, president, NAMIC.

After college, Hunter-Gault accepted a job as an editorial assistant with New Yorker magazine and garnered a yearlong Russell Sage Fellowship. In the early stages of her career, she served as a reporter and evening anchor for WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. She also worked for The New York Times in the capacity of metropolitan reporter specializing in coverage of the African American community, while establishing the Harlem bureau. Now established as one of television's premier journalists, Hunter-Gault has served as national correspondent and fill-in anchor for PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, chief correspondent for National Public Radio in Africa and bureau chief for CNN in Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition to two Emmys, Hunter-Gault has received numerous awards for journalism, such as two George Foster Peabody Awards, Journalist of the Year from the National Association of Black Journalists, and Good Housekeeping Magazine's Broadcast Personality of the Year Award. A published author, Hunter-Gault's literary works include an autobiography, In My Place, and New News out of Africa: Uncovering Africa's Renaissance, which focuses on her exploration of modern Africa.

Past recipients of NAMIC's Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award include Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television; George Herrera, former president and CEO, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Governor Bill Richardson, former ambassador, United Nations; award-winning journalists and CNN anchors, Soledad O'Brien and Anderson Cooper; Kweisi Mfume, former NAACP president; and Christina Saralegui, host of the Galavision/Univision "Christina Show" among others.

For more information or to register for the 22nd Annual NAMIC Conference visit www.namic.com or call Sandra Girado, meeting and events manager, NAMIC, Inc. at the NAMIC national headquarters, (212) 594-5985.

About NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC is comprised of 2,000 professionals belonging to a network of 17 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. For more information, please visit www.namic.com.

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Source: NAMIC

CONTACT: Daphne Leroy, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, NAMIC
+1-212-594-5985 (office), daphne.leroy@namic.com; or Charmaine Chapman of BTB
Communications, +1-310-882-5498 (office), char@btbcommunications.com, for
NAMIC

Web Site: http://www.namic.com/

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