This is the first of three posts about WABC morning anchor Lori Stokes, the featured anchor for January. We'll begin with Stokes's official Eyewitness News biography, courtesy WABC-TV.
As anchor of Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon, Lori Stokes has been an unflinching guide through everything from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 to the Northeastern Blackout of August 14, 2003. Along the way, Stokes has picked up Emmy and AP Awards for her reporting.In 2000, she came to WABC from MSNBC/NBC where she had reported for Nightly News Weekend and anchored for the NBC Sunrise and the Weekend Today Show. Stokes is acknowledged in African American Firsts as the first African American to broadcast on MSNBC in 1996. She also hosted Newschat, a call-in talk show that showcased the dynamic rapport she has with her viewers.
Prior to MSNBC/NBC Lori worked for ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in Washington, DC as evening anchor at six and 11 o'clock from 1992- 1996. While in the nation's capital, she also launched WJLA's Good Morning Washington.
She has received numerous awards for her reporting on social issues, in particular stories affecting women and children. As a street reporter from 1991-1992 for WBFF-TV in Baltimore, she received an Emmy Award for her in-depth coverage of children caught in the crossfire of local violence.
Her undercover journalistic work as a homeless person on the streets of Baltimore earned her an Associated Press Award. More recently, she received a 2006 Emmy nomination for a police chase on which she reported live in 2005.
Stokes is also the recipient of a George P. Foster Peabody Award for her September 11, 2001 coverage of the World Trade Center attack. On a national level, Stokes received the 2003 Congressional Black Caucus Celebration of Leadership Award for her civic service and her status as a role model.
This year, Stokes was named a "Woman of Influence" by Commerce magazine, placing her among the ranks of best-selling author Mary Higgins-Clark, philanthropist Deirdre Imus, and racecar driver Danica Patrick. Additionally, she is aiding the founding of a new charity, Supplies for Success, which aims to furnish underprivileged children with the tools they need, both tangible and intangible, to excel academically.
Stokes was just recognized in New York City by the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence for her body of work and her extensive community outreach. "It may be difficult today to remember just how far we have come in 30 short years," Stokes said of the cause, "There were no emergency shelters for battered women and their children; there was no law against spousal rape; and, yes, it was against the law for an abused woman fleeing her abuser to take her children with her. In these 30 years, much has been accomplished and the Center Against Domestic Violence has led the way."
She is also now a proud member of Jack and Jill of America, an organization founded in 1938 under the leadership of Marion Stubbs Thomas with the idea of bringing together children in a social and cultural environment. The group primarily serves Black children from the ages of two to 19.
Stokes is one of the millions of people who live with potentially deadly food allergies and is passionately involved with the Food Allergy Initiative. She serves as a member of the board of trustees at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Foundation, Bergen Performing Arts Center and St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Patterson, New Jersey.
Although born in Cleveland, Ohio, Stokes grew up Washington, D.C. She is daughter of former United States Congressman Louis Stokes and the niece of Carl Stokes, who made history as the first African American mayor of a major city, Cleveland. Stokes was crowned Miss Azalea in 1983, representing the NATO Alliance; she was the first African American to ever hold the title.
Stokes is an alumna of Howard University and Ohio State University. She resides in New Jersey with her children.
This information is courtesy WABC-TV.
(C) Copyright 2014 WABC-TV New York.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/bio?section=resources/inside_station/newsteam&id=5771950
Prior to MSNBC/NBC Lori worked for ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in Washington, DC as evening anchor at six and 11 o'clock from 1992- 1996. While in the nation's capital, she also launched WJLA's Good Morning Washington.
She has received numerous awards for her reporting on social issues, in particular stories affecting women and children. As a street reporter from 1991-1992 for WBFF-TV in Baltimore, she received an Emmy Award for her in-depth coverage of children caught in the crossfire of local violence.
Her undercover journalistic work as a homeless person on the streets of Baltimore earned her an Associated Press Award. More recently, she received a 2006 Emmy nomination for a police chase on which she reported live in 2005.
Stokes is also the recipient of a George P. Foster Peabody Award for her September 11, 2001 coverage of the World Trade Center attack. On a national level, Stokes received the 2003 Congressional Black Caucus Celebration of Leadership Award for her civic service and her status as a role model.
This year, Stokes was named a "Woman of Influence" by Commerce magazine, placing her among the ranks of best-selling author Mary Higgins-Clark, philanthropist Deirdre Imus, and racecar driver Danica Patrick. Additionally, she is aiding the founding of a new charity, Supplies for Success, which aims to furnish underprivileged children with the tools they need, both tangible and intangible, to excel academically.
Stokes was just recognized in New York City by the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence for her body of work and her extensive community outreach. "It may be difficult today to remember just how far we have come in 30 short years," Stokes said of the cause, "There were no emergency shelters for battered women and their children; there was no law against spousal rape; and, yes, it was against the law for an abused woman fleeing her abuser to take her children with her. In these 30 years, much has been accomplished and the Center Against Domestic Violence has led the way."
She is also now a proud member of Jack and Jill of America, an organization founded in 1938 under the leadership of Marion Stubbs Thomas with the idea of bringing together children in a social and cultural environment. The group primarily serves Black children from the ages of two to 19.
Stokes is one of the millions of people who live with potentially deadly food allergies and is passionately involved with the Food Allergy Initiative. She serves as a member of the board of trustees at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Foundation, Bergen Performing Arts Center and St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Patterson, New Jersey.
Although born in Cleveland, Ohio, Stokes grew up Washington, D.C. She is daughter of former United States Congressman Louis Stokes and the niece of Carl Stokes, who made history as the first African American mayor of a major city, Cleveland. Stokes was crowned Miss Azalea in 1983, representing the NATO Alliance; she was the first African American to ever hold the title.
Stokes is an alumna of Howard University and Ohio State University. She resides in New Jersey with her children.
This information is courtesy WABC-TV.
(C) Copyright 2014 WABC-TV New York.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/bio?section=resources/inside_station/newsteam&id=5771950