Jere Hester, editor in chief of THE CITY, receives Leadership Through Local Journalism Award.
NEW YORK, NY Feb. 22— THE CITY’s (www.thecity.nyc) founding editor in chief, Jere Hester, was honored last Thursday, Feb. 18, with the Leadership Through Local Journalism Award from One Hundred Black Men of New York (OHBM), a historic Harlem-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering Black communities, during their 41st Annual Gala, “The Day of the One Hundred.” The award highlights and celebrates THE CITY’s role in serving New York’s communities through in-depth analysis and guides on the city’s most pressing issues.
Hester was honored alongside Governor Andrew Cuomo; former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; New York Attorney General Letitia James; Rep. Ritchie Torres; MSNBC host Joy Reid; Alvin Patrick, an executive producer for CBS News; and Valerie White, executive director of LISC NYC.
The awards ceremony marked the culmination of a day of service dedicated to honoring transformative leaders working to strengthen the fabric of Black communities. There were also panel discussions on critical issues facing Black communities, including conversations on activism, economic empowerment and education.
THE CITY has a track record of providing coverage that creates meaningful impact and highlights inequity with a solutions focus. For example, during the peak of the pandemic last April, THE CITY published a story highlighting the disproportionate rate in which Blacks and Hispanics were dying from COVID-19 compared to whites and Asians. Following our report, South Bronx officials sent a letter — citing THE CITY’s report — to Governor Cuomo asking him to open a multipurpose medical facility at the Harlem River Yards, a waterfront site owned by the state. And, in response to our coverage on the deaths of Amber Issac and Sha-asia Washington, two young Black women who died after giving birth in local hospitals, more than 40 City Council candidates pledged in October to tackle the city’s maternal mortality crisis.
“More and more, we’re seeing the different ways in which local newsrooms are serving as a connector and interpreter of policies and decisions that impact readers’ lives,” said Hester. “I’m honored to see THE CITY’s hard work recognized. Local news is fundamental to a democracy that works for everyone.”
For more on THE CITY’s coverage and news that serves New Yorkers, click here.
ABOUT THE CITY: THE CITY is an independent, nonprofit news outlet dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York. Our reporters pound the pavement in all five boroughs, working with New Yorkers to tell their stories and make their lives better. We’re here to listen to New Yorkers, dig into their concerns and deliver stories that drive the public conversation and set the agenda on key issues. At a time when the media has been upended by technological, economic and political shifts, we want to reconnect people back to local news – and reconnect local news to getting action.
ABOUT 100 BLACK MEN OF NEW YORK: One Hundred Black Men of New York was founded in 1963 as a non-profit organization of like-minded leaders who met to advocate for improvement in conditions in their communities. Today, it leverages the collective talents, abilities and energy of its 600 members and corporate partners for the intellectual development of youth and the economic empowerment of the Black community based on the following precepts: respect for family, spirituality, justice, and integrity. To learn more about OHBM and its initiatives, including its annual gala, visit www.ohbm.org and https://dayoftheonehundred.org/.
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