Jonathan Capehart interviewing Dr. Clarence B. Jones (photo from The Communications Network via Flickr).
The National LGBTQ Task Force will be honoring journalist Jonathan Capehart with a National Leadership Award at the 26th annual National LGBTQ Task Force Gala on Oct. 22 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
This award is presented each year to an individual or group that encompasses the Task Force’s vision for the future, where people in the LGBTQ community can express themselves freely and work toward more equality and acceptance for future generations of the LGBTQ community.
Capehart is an accomplished Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, having served as associate editor for The Washington Post since 2007. He is best known for his work in politics and social issues, and hosting his own podcast “Capehart”. He has additionally contributed to numerous MSNBC productions as an anchor, such as “The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart,” and Emmy nominated special “A Promised Land: A Conversation with Barack Obama.”
As a black man and a member of the LGBTQ community, he has proudly and publicly accepted his identity while working to shine a light on the democracy of the United States. This is what the LGBTQ Task Force says is exactly what it strives to promote.
“When I was a kid and dreamed of being a journalist, it was all about reporting from the middle of the action. Being Black and gay were two things I couldn’t hide, so I pursued my dream with determination and without apology,” said Capehart. “To receive the 2022 National Leadership Award from the Task Force is a humbling reminder that being in the middle of the action means you are in service to something bigger than yourself. What an honor it is to be recognized for just being myself and for doing all I can to help others do the same.”
Kierra Johnson, National LGBTQ Task Force executive director, said Capehart deserves the award due to his ability to inspire courage and authenticity. She said it is also due to Capehart’s strong desire to seek truth and justice in the articles he writes.
“Jonathan Capehart is a nationally respected journalist and is uncompromising and relentless in his pursuit to report the truth in a time when misinformation erodes the very foundation of our democracy,” said Johnson. “He has used his platform to shape the national conversation on important social issues and to make visible the invisible, marginalized people in our country. He has helped tell the stories of LGBTQ people who inspire us and move us. And he has done it all with integrity as a journalist who holds the intersectional identities of being both Black and a member of LGBTQ+ community.”
Capehart will receive the National Leadership Award on Oct. 22 at the Miami Beach Convention Center during the LGBTQ Task Force Gala.
