Multicultural Media And Correspondents Association Honors Women Leaders In Diverse Media Excellence
Courtesy The Bipoc Xchange
The Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association (MMCA) hosted its exclusive 2024 Sheroes in Media Awards reception on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at the National Press Club near the White House, with leaders in media, philanthropy and communications gathered to uplift extraordinary women who exemplify diverse media excellence.
MMCA honors the Sheroes in Media who are championing diversity in the industry. Learn about the awards ceremony and these trailblazing women.
Following the success of the inaugural virtual ceremony in 2021, this year’s event added two special award categories: the Lifetime Achievement Award, given to Margery Kraus, Founder and Executive Chairman of APCO, and the Luminary Award, given to Janet Yang, award-winning Hollywood producer and President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
“Never underestimate the power of being underestimated,” said Kraus during her acceptance speech, as she recounted her journey of building one of the largest PR firms in the world, as a first-generation Jewish woman with parents who immigrated from Cuba. She emphasized the importance of inclusion, noting that “we have much more to do” to ensure more diversity and equity in the media and society.
Other honorees shared similar stories of grit, resilience and courage in overcoming stereotypes while rising to the top, where they are now leading the fight to ensure both gender and multicultural representation as presidents of various journalists or journalists-supporting organizations.
The awards were presented by Olga Lucia Torres, Chair of the Board of Trustees, followed by trustee Sui Lang Panoke’s brief overview of MMCA’s accomplishments.
“The MMCA is grateful to honor these amazing Sheroes. They work to ensure equity in the media so that BIPOC stories are seen and heard and to empower people of color and women in the media. Their tremendous work is inspiring, and we are overjoyed to acknowledge their accomplishments,” said Torres.
Emceed by Reena Ninan, a television journalist and founder of Good Trouble Productions, the Sheroes in Media Awards ceremony was co-created by MMCA president David Morgan and trustee Hannah Kim, former deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, who also presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Margery Kraus. The event was produced by Green Gigz, Inc., Global Strategy Group and powered by the BIPOCXChange.
2024 Sheroes in Media Awards to Katina Arnold, Alicia Bell, Janet Dewart Bell, Yvette Cabrera, Nicole Dungca, Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Tracie Powell, and Emily Wilkins, Lifetime Achievement Award to Margery Kraus and Luminary Award to Janet Yang
2024 MMCA Sheroes in Media Award honorees pictured (From left to right:)
- Yvette Cabrera, President, National Association of Hispanic Journalists
- Emily Wilkins, President, National Press Club
- Katina Arnold, Board Chair, Alliance for Women in Media Foundation
- Nicole Dungca, President, Asian American Journalists Association
- Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Founder, Institute for Independent Journalists
- Tracie Powell, Founder and CEO, The Pivot Fund, Inc.
- Janet Dewart Bell, Board Chair, Women’s Media Center
- Alicia Bell, Director, Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, Borealis Philanthropy
- Mary Kraus, Founder and Executive Chairman of APCO (Lifetime Achievement Award)*
- Janet Yang, President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Luminary Award)*
MMCA interviewed each honoree to gain insights into their incredible journey. A publishable interview article and related press assets for each honoree can be downloaded by clicking on their names above.
About MMCA
Established in 2016, MMCA is a nonpartisan/nonprofit organization leading a call to action to increase media diversity. MMCA has become a trusted convener and facilitator of thought leadership, resource and information sharing, and strategic engagement between multicultural media stakeholders, tech and media decision-makers, policymakers, and private entities committed to increasing the percentage of diverse media stakeholders and content. www.mmcadc.org; @mmcadc on all platforms.
About the BIPOCXChange
The BIPOCXChange (BXC) is a disruptive networking, news distribution and online newsroom platform created to help BIPOC media increase reach, relevance and revenue and marketers seamlessly facilitate online multicultural media marketing and communications to local and niche BIPOC audiences at scale.
Images courtesy MMCA.
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