Legendary WNBC 4 lead anchor Sue Simmons and CNN anchor Don Lemon are among the 18 Black media figures being honored on McDonald’s Black Media Legends and Trailblazers poster this year. The free poster will be distributed at all New York tristate-area McDonald’s restaurants in February in honor of Black History Month.
An event honoring the media figures took place at a luncheon at the Plaza Hotel on Friday, where the poster was unveiled. For the past 10 years, the annual Black history campaign has been a part of McDonald’s during February. Faces of Black History was created to salute and honor Black history makers throughout the community and the country, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to present-day heroes.
The 2013 honorees are Black Media Legends and Trailblazers who have impacted the Black community through their achievements and positive examples. They are selected by honorees from the previous year. This year’s honorees are: D.J. Clue, Jay Dow, Edward Harris, Deon Levingston, Errol Louis, J.L. Mitchell, Robert F. Moore, Fatiyn Muhammad, John Noel, Joy-Ann Reid, Sandra Rice, Troy Roberts, Walter Smith, Pat Stevenson, Saundra Thomas and Earl VanDyke Toliver.
Brenda Blackmon, co-anchor of My WWOR-TV, was awarded the Harold Down Lifetime Achievement Award, while Deon Levingston, VP and general manager of WBLS/WLIB Radio, was awarded the Hal Jackson Vanguard Award.