[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 95 (Thursday, July 16, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S8418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING MS. JAMIE FOSTER BROWN

 Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, it is my privilege to take a 
few moments to join the Midwest Radio and Music Association (MRMA) in 
recognizing the career achievements of Ms. Jamie Foster Brown. The MRMA 
will host a tribute dinner in Ms. Brown's honor during their annual 
conference in Chicago on July 23, 1998. I want to extend my heartfelt 
congratulations to Jamie Foster Brown for this prestigious award.
  A native Chicagoan, Jamie Foster Brown graduated from Calumet High 
School and subsequently attended the University of Stockholm in 
Stockholm, Sweden. From these beginnings, Ms. Brown has become one of 
the most accomplished and respected women in the field of entertainment 
journalism. She publishes her own magazine, is heard on radio stations 
around the United States and England, and makes numerous television 
appearances each month. Jamie Foster Brown's success is testament to 
her talent and determination.
  Jamie Foster Brown began her career in the entertainment business in 
1979 when she founded the Washington Theater Group. Ms. Brown 
subsequently went to work for Robert Johnson's Black Entertainment 
Television, and was among the pioneers at this network in creating 
television programming for African-American viewers written, directed, 
and produced by African-Americans. Ms. Brown's talents were recognized 
at BET, as she ascended the ranks from executive secretary to a 
producer of the network's top-rated programs, ``Video LP'' and ``Video 
Soul.''
  In 1988, Jamie Foster Brown struck out on her own and founded Sister 
2 Sister Magazine as a monthly trade newsletter targeted at prominent 
women in the entertainment and media industries. Ten years later, 
Sister 2 Sister has emerged as one of the most powerful and respected 
monthly entertainment magazines, with a special focus on African-
American celebrity news. The magazine is often the first to be granted 
interviews with major American entertainers, and often breaks stories 
that are later picked up by other news organizations.
  In addition to publishing and writing for Sister 2 Sister Magazine, 
Ms. Brown has also recently written a book in honor of the late Betty 
Shabazz, entitled: Betty Shabazz: A Sisterfriend's Tribute In Words and 
Pictures. This loving tribute to Dr. Shabazz, published by Simon & 
Schuster, contains the recollections and anecdotes of friends and 
admirers including Maya Angelou, Myrlie Evers-Williams, and Ruby Dee.
  Building upon the success of her magazine, Jamie Foster Brown is a 
regular entertainment reporter on BET, and makes many appearances on 
nationally syndicated news and entertainment television shows. 
Additionally, Ms. Brown hosts ``Sister 2 Sister Update,'' a syndicated, 
daily celebrity news feature that is carried nationwide on the Westwood 
One Radio Network. ``Sister 2 Sister Update'' is also broadcast twice a 
week throughout Great Britain over the British Broadcasting Company's 
Greater London Radio. Ms. Brown is also heard daily as a frequent 
celebrity guest on radio stations in Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C. 
and Los Angeles.
  In a further display of her immense energy and enthusiasm for life, 
Ms. Brown also uses her considerable talents to better her community 
and our nation through volunteerism. Some of the many charitable 
organizations that have benefitted from Jamie Foster Brown's 
participation include the Duke Ellington School of Music, the Mount 
Sinai Parenting Institute and the Corporation Against Drug Abuse. For 
her professional and civic accomplishments, Ms. Brown has been honored 
by numerous organizations, including the Chicago League of Black Women, 
Anheuser Busch, Maurice Starr Productions, IMPACT and most recently, 
the Midwest Radio and Music Association. Along with balancing the 
demands of her career and charitable work, Ms. Brown remarkably finds 
time to remain a committed wife to Dr. Lorenzo Brown, as well as a 
loving and devoted mother to their two sons, Russell and Randall.
  In closing, I would like to extend my most sincere congratulations to 
Jamie Foster Brown, a remarkable woman who is most deserving of this 
award. It is an important symbol of her exceptional talent, dedication, 
and vision, and I am pleased that she is being distinguished with this 
honor by the Midwest Radio and Music Association. I wish her, and her 
family, God's speed and much continued success in the future.

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