American journalist (born 1961)
Michele L. Norris
(
MEE
-shel
;
[1]
born September 7, 1961) is an American
journalist
. Since 2019, Norris has been an opinion columnist with
The Washington Post
.
[2]
She co-hosted
National Public Radio
's evening news program
All Things Considered
from 2002 to 2011 and was the first
African-American
female host for
NPR
.
[3]
Before that Norris was a correspondent for
ABC News
, the
Chicago Tribune
, and the
Los Angeles Times
. Norris is a member of the
Peabody Awards
board of directors.
[4]
Early life
[
edit
]
Norris was born in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
, to Elizabeth Jean "Betty" and Belvin Norris Jr. Her mother is a fourth-generation Minnesotan and her father is from Alabama.
[5]
Belvin served in the Navy in
World War II
.
[6]
Norris attended
Washburn High School
in
Minneapolis
, and later the
University of Wisconsin?Madison
, where she first studied electrical engineering, before transferring to the University of Minnesota where she majored in journalism and mass communications.
[3]
Career
[
edit
]
At the University of Minnesota, Norris wrote for the
Minnesota Daily
and then became a reporter for
WCCO-TV
.
[3]
Norris wrote for
The Washington Post
, the
Chicago Tribune
, and the
Los Angeles Times
. In 1990, while at
The Washington Post
, Norris received the
Livingston Award
for articles she wrote about the life of a six-year-old boy who lived with a
crack
-addicted mother in a crack house.
[7]
From 1993 to 2002, Norris was a news correspondent for
ABC News
, winning an
Emmy Award
and a
Peabody Award
for coverage of the
September 11
attacks.
[3]
Norris joined the NPR evening news program
All Things Considered
on December 9, 2002, becoming the first
African-American
female host for NPR.
[3]
In 2015,
Fortune
described Norris as "one of [NPR's] biggest stars".
[8]
Norris's coverage of
Hurricane Katrina
and its aftermath won acclaim early in her time at NPR.
[9]
She moderated a Democratic presidential debate in Iowa, alongside Steve Inskeep and Robert Siegel.
[10]
In 2008, Norris teamed with
Morning Edition
host
Steve Inskeep
for
The York Project: Race & The '08 Vote
. Inskeep and Norris share an
Alfred I. duPont?Columbia University Award
silver baton award.
[11]
While at NPR, Norris interviewed a range of politicians and celebrities, including
President Barack Obama
,
[12]
Susan Rice
,
[13]
Quincy Jones
,
[14]
and
Joan Rivers
[15]
among others.
Norris announced on October 24, 2011, that she would temporarily step down from her
All Things Considered
hosting duties and refrain from involvement in any NPR political coverage during the 2012 election year because of her husband's appointment to the
Barack Obama
2012 presidential reelection campaign.
[16]
On January 3, 2013, NPR announced that Norris had stepped down as a regular host of
All Things Considered
and would instead serve as an occasional host and special correspondent.
[17]
The Race Card Project
[
edit
]
The Race Card Project, begun by Norris in 2010 while she was at
NPR
, invited people to submit comments on their experience of race in the United States in six words.
[18]
Norris and collaborators won a 2014 Peabody Award for the project.
[19]
In December 2015, Norris left NPR to focus on the Race Card Project.
[20]
In July 2020, Simon & Schuster announced a book deal for the project, which would include a related children's book.
[21]
That book--
Our Hidden Conversation What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity--
was released in January 2024, and is based on Norris's collection of hundreds of thousands of hidden conversations for The Race Card Project archive.
[22]
The Grace of Silence
[
edit
]
Norris is also the author of
The Grace of Silence
,
[23]
a memoir and reported non-fiction book that started as an extension of the Race Card Project.
[24]
In the book Norris writes of discovering her father's shooting by a Birmingham police officer and also her maternal grandmother's job as an itinerant
Aunt Jemima
.
[25]
Awards
[
edit
]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Norris lives in the
District of Columbia
with her husband,
Broderick D. Johnson
, the former
White House Cabinet Secretary
for President
Barack Obama
,
[29]
and her daughter, son, and stepson.
[30]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Hepola, Sarah (2007).
"Heart of Glass: My sexual fantasies about NPR"
.
Nerve
. p. 2.
Take Michele Norris, co-host of
All Things Considered
... there was the contrarian pronunciation of her first name, MEE-shell, which was staunchly enforced by every guest, all of whom must have been given a 10-minute primer prior to air.
- ^
"Michele Norris joins Post Opinions as contributor and consultant"
.
The Washington Post
. December 3, 2019.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Michele Norris Biography"
. The HistoryMakers. May 2, 2008
. Retrieved
April 25,
2018
.
- ^
"Who We Are"
. Grady College and University of Georgia
. Retrieved
November 22,
2019
.
- ^
Norris, Michele L. (December 9, 2022).
"Where do you really come from? That's a toxic question"
.
Washington Post
. Retrieved
December 24,
2022
.
My mother is a fourth-generation Black woman from Minnesota, and my father was a Black man born and raised in Alabama.
- ^
Bonos, Lisa (September 19, 2010).
"
"The Grace of Silence," a memoir by Michele Norris"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Reporter Honored for Articles On Child's Life in Crack House"
.
Washington Post
. June 7, 1990. Archived from
the original
on October 20, 2012
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
Groden, Claire (December 18, 2015).
"NPR is Losing One of Its Biggest Stars"
.
Fortune
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Documenter and Documentee ? Part Two"
.
www.thirdcoastfestival.org
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
"Transcript: NPR Democratic Candidates' Debate"
.
NPR.org
. December 4, 2007
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
Steve Inskeep ? Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio
.
- ^
"Transcript: Obama's Full Interview With NPR"
.
NPR.org
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
"Susan Rice: Stopping Al-Qaida Critical To U.S."
NPR.org
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
"In '08 Interview, Quincy Jones Reflects On Jackson"
.
NPR.org
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
"Joan Rivers: Outrageous and Outspoken as Ever"
.
NPR.org
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
"An Update for ATC Listeners"
,
NPR
. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^
Memmott, Mark (January 3, 2013).
"NPR's Michele Norris Returning As Host/Special Correspondent"
.
NPR.org
. National Public Radio
. Retrieved
April 16,
2013
.
- ^
Stelter, Brian (December 17, 2015).
"Michele Norris leaving NPR, expanding her Race Card Project"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
73rd Annual Peabody Awards
, May 2014.
- ^
Mullin, Benjamin (December 17, 2015).
"Michele Norris is leaving NPR"
.
Poytner
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
Deahl, Rachel (July 17, 2020).
"Book Deals: Week of July 20, 2020"
.
Publishers Weekly
. Retrieved
August 1,
2020
.
- ^
Norris, Michele (January 16, 2024).
Our Hidden Conversations
. Simon and Schuster.
ISBN
978-1-9821-5439-4
.
- ^
Ciuraru, Camela (September 26, 2010).
"
'The Grace of Silence,' by Michele Norris"
.
San Francisco Chronicle
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
Sragow, Michael
.
"Michele Norris' new book reveals 'The Grace of Silence'"
.
The Baltimore Sun
, September 24, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ^
"The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris ? Reading Guide: 9780307475275 ? PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books"
.
PenguinRandomhouse.com
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
"National Association of Black Journalists"
. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
- ^
Gernstetter, Blake (April 28, 2009).
"NABJ Names NPR's Michele Norris"
.
AdWeek
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Six will receive honorary degrees at Winter Commencement exercises"
.
The University Record
. University of Michigan. October 19, 2013
. Retrieved
February 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Broderick Johnson"
.
whitehouse.gov
. May 4, 2015
. Retrieved
August 2,
2020
.
- ^
"About Michele"
. Retrieved
April 21,
2020
.
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