[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 5, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E715-E716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE WORK OF KOJO NNAMDI

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 5, 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Kojo Nnamdi and The Kojo 
Nnamdi Show for two decades on air with WAMU 88.5, Washington's 
National Public Radio news station.
  No other local radio program brings the depth, sensitivity and 
familiarity with the important issues of the Washington, D.C. region 
better than The Kojo Nnamdi Show. Hosted by the universally beloved 
Kojo Nnamdi, the show has been at the center of critical conversations 
about society, community, race, housing, education, politics, the arts 
and more for 20 years.
  While divisiveness has become the talk show norm, Nnamdi takes the 
time to create thoughtful dialogue--engendering trust among guests and 
listeners alike. Whether talking to citizens or politicians, he 
generates honest, productive discussions with guests, incorporating 
engagement with listeners.
  Nnamdi makes it a priority to meet people where their lives happen--
in the community. Nnamdi's conversations in communities around the 
region amplify the voices of those who would not be.
  A native of Guyana, Nnamdi moved to D.C. in 1969 to engage with the 
civil rights movement. Now a longtime D.C. resident, Nnamdi brings both 
a global perspective and vast knowledge of the region to front page 
headlines and explores emerging stories before they are news.
  From 1973 to 1985, Nnamdi worked at WHUR-FM, where he served as news 
editor and then news director, producing the award-winning local news 
program The Daily Drum. From 1985 to 2011, he hosted Evening Exchange, 
a public affairs television program broadcast by WHUT-TV at Howard 
University. Nnamdi became host of a WAMU program called Public Interest 
in August 1998, and the name was changed to The Kojo Nnamdi Show in 
September 2002.
  In 2001, Nnamdi was honored as a civil rights hero by the National 
Council for Community Justice. In 2003, the Library of Congress 
selected Nnamdi as the keynote speaker for African American History 
Month. In addition to his hosting duties, Nnamdi has chaired the board 
of the Public Access Corporation of Washington, D.C. for the past 25 
years. In 2014, Nnamdi was inducted into the Hall of

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Fame of the D.C. chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, 
and in 2018, he was inducted into the D.C. Hall of Fame Society.
  The Kojo Nnamdi Show has won numerous awards, including multiple 
Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and Associated Press honors, 
as well as the National Association of Black Broadcasters Salute to 
Excellence Award.
  Over the years, Nnamdi has taken listeners on both intellectual and 
emotional journeys around the rapidly evolving Washington region. He 
has convened critical conversations for 20 years at the heart of 
change.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House to please join me in recognizing Kojo 
Nnamdi and The Kojo Nnamdi Show for 20 years of dedicated work in the 
Washington, D.C. area.

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