Radio One Founder Cathy Hughes Honored In Congress For ‘Amplifying The Voices Of Black People.’

 

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Story by Inside Radio

As the company she founded marks its 40th anniversary, Urban One Chairperson Cathy Hughes was honored on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday. In a speech by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Hughes was recognized for dedicating her career “to amplifying the voices of Black people and their perspectives through the airwaves.”

Norton’s speech walked House members through Hughes’ career and how she blazed a trail for African American women in the radio industry. “Throughout her career, her piercing optimism and resilience cut through obstacles of discrimination and discouragement, clearing a path to where she now stands as one of our country’s wealthiest self-made African-American women,” Norton said.

That all began in her bathroom as a child growing up in Omaha, where the aspirsing broadcaster hosted make believe radio shows. “Growing up among a family of entrepreneurs, as Hughes did, she was no stranger to hard work, business jargon and long hours,” Norton recounted. “Her father was the first African American to earn an accounting degree from Creighton University. Her mother played trombone.”

Hughes moved to DC in 1971 to work at Howard University’s School of Communications and went on to become General Sales Manager for the University’s WHUR-FM. “During her career she endured racism and sexism, but these were no match for her electric optimism,” Norton said.

In 1999, at the suggestion of her son, Alfred Liggins, now CEO of Urban One, Hughes became the first African-American woman to chair a publicly held corporation, following the sale of more than seven million shares of common stock to the public.

Norton’s speech touched on the litany of awards bestowed on Hughes, including the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2019, the Woman of the Year Award by 100 Black Men of America in 2018, and induction into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2016 the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University was named for her.

“I relish this opportunity to recognize and honor the work of Cathy Hughes,” Norton said in closing. “Her resilience, optimism and determination are true guiding lights through these difficult times. She has mentored countless women and her entrepreneurial energy has touched many, both in D.C. and across the nation.”

Read the entire speech HERE. Link: http://www.nab.org/documents/newsRoom/pdfs/120820_Cathy_Hughes_Floor_Statement.pdf