Dr. Kaye Awarded Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence

Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence will be awarded to Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Wise  Whitehead for her outstanding reporting about the impact racial reckoning has had in helping to close the social/racial wealth gap for Black people in America. 

(Baltimore) - Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, an award-winning radio host, opinion writer, author, and professor is the recipient of the 2021 Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence.

The Vernon Jarrett Medal– named in honor of the late Vernon Jarrett, a pioneering African-American journalist and creator of the NAACP's Act-So program– is awarded annually in recognition of exemplary reporting on Black life in America.

“The judges and I were so very impressed with the thoughtfulness and impact of Whitehead’s work. Her reporting represents important narratives about the Black condition in America that should be recognized and celebrated,” said School of Global Journalism & Communication Dean Jacqueline Jones.

Whitehead was cited for her body of work that included key radio interviews on her talk show, Today With Dr. Kaye which airs weekdays from 2-4pm on WEAA 88.9 FM. Among the acclaimed entries are, “9 Minutes and 29 Seconds: Day Two of the Derek Chauvin trial;” “A Conversation about Critical Race Theory,” and “What should Black and Brown communities do? And how should white people become allies; A conversation with Professor Leonard Pitts.”

She wrote several editorials for The Baltimore Afro-American about the racial reckoning which also caught the judges’ attention.

Whitehead’s reputation for excellence is well documented. Most recently, Today with Dr. Kaye was selected as a finalist for Best Talk Show by the Chesapeake Broadcast Press Awards, and for the fourth year in a row, she is a finalist for Best Editorial or Commentary.