2013 Conference Speakers

Roland S. Martin

Journalist/ Syndicated Columnist

Roland S. Martin is the author of Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith, and Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America and “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.” In October 2008, he joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show as senior analyst. Named by Ebony Magazine in 2008, 2009 and 2010 as one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States, he is the 2009 winner of the NAACP Image Award for Best Interview for “In Conversation: The Michelle Obama Interview.” He is the 2008 winner of the NAACP Image Award for Best Interview for “In Conversation: The Sen. Barack Obama Interview.” In 2009, CNN was awarded the Peabody Award for its outstanding 2008 election coverage, of which Martin was a member of the Best Political Team on Television. He has won more than 30 professional awards for journalistic excellence, including a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television News Directors; top reporting honors from the National Association of Black Journalists; the National Association of Minorities in Cable and the National Associated Press-Managing Editors Conference.