[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 214 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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 TRIBUTE TO CATHY HUGHES AND RECOGNIZING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF URBAN 
                                  ONE

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to ask the Senate to 
join me in recognizing my constituent and friend Cathy Hughes on the 
40th anniversary of Urban One, Inc., formerly known as Radio One. Urban 
One, headquartered in Montgomery County, MD, is America's largest 
broadcast company primarily focused on African-American consumers. Over 
the last four decades, it has elevated and celebrated African-American 
voices while telling stories from their perspective. Today, Urban One 
employs more than 1,500 people and reaches an estimated 82 percent of 
African-Americans nationwide.
  This remarkable success is attributable to the skillful and 
passionate leadership of Cathy Hughes. Not long after Cathy started her 
radio career in her hometown of Omaha, NE, she found herself lecturing 
at Howard University's school of communications and serving as general 
sales manager at the university's iconic radio station, WHUR. Cathy 
started Radio One in 1980 with the purchase of her flagship station 
WOL-AM in Washington, DC, and served as its morning show host for 11 
years. As founder and chairwoman, Cathy has directed the successful 
expansion of Radio One into new radio markets nationwide while 
generating original content across the spectrum of radio, television, 
and digital media. I am proud to note that Baltimore was the first city 
into which Radio One expanded.
  Urban One's remarkable 40 years of growth are all the more impressive 
given the obstacles that Cathy has overcome, not least the racism and 
sexism she has encountered during her groundbreaking career. In her 
initial search for financing to buy the station that would become Radio 
One, 32 banks rejected Cathy's bid.
  Cathy has steered her company successfully through the changes and 
challenges in media markets over the years, most recently navigating 
the impact of COVID-19. While Radio One itself has been hurt by the 
pandemic, she chose to support her community by providing free 
advertising to Black-owned businesses.
  Cathy's philanthropic work rivals her exceptional business 
achievements. Of note is her passion for education, demonstrated by her 
strong support of the Piney Woods School in Piney Woods, MS. This 
school, which her grandfather established in 1909, currently serves as 
the largest of four African-American boarding schools in the county. 
Cathy has been recognized for extraordinary contributions many times 
over the years: National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 
2019, the Woman of the Year Award by 100 Black Men of America in 2018, 
the Ida B. Wells Living Legacy Award in 2011, and the Essence Women 
Shaping the World Award in 2018. In 2019, Howard University named its 
school of communications after her.
  I ask the Senate to join me in recognizing the extraordinary career 
of an extraordinary woman, Cathy Hughes, on the 40th anniversary of 
Urban One.

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