User:Crtew/Sidmel Estes-Sumpter

Sidmel Estes-Sumpter (November 27, 1954 – October 6, 2015), an award-winning US African American journalist, media consultant, and executive television producer for WAGA-TV/Fox 5 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, was elected the first African American woman president if the National Association of Black Journalists in 1991.

Personal
Sidmel Estes-Sumpter was born on November 27, 1954 in Marysville, California. She attended elementary and high school in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her bachelor and masters degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in Chicago, Illinois. Sidmel Estes married B. Garnett Sumpter in 1983. Estes has two sons, Joshua and Sidney, brothers Edward and Christopher, sister Cheryl and a stepmother, Barbara. She died on October 6, 2015 from a serious illness. Estes’ illness was extremely complicated to deal with because her lack of health insurance. Estes lost more than 150 pounds after undergoing gastric bypass surgery. On Sept. 23, 2015, Estes' illness was made public, as she messaged Journal-isms, "I was stunned when my friends rallied to help me. And there are a lot of Sidmels out there. I didn't ask anyone to do this. I'm still confined to bed as we try to figure out the medical treatment for what's happening. But it is serious. I'm scared because I have never had this kind of thing happen. Please keep me in your prayers."

Career
In 1979, Estes returned to Atlanta and was hired at WAGA-TV/Fox 5, where she served as the executive producer of numerous programs. She also helped create Good Day Atlanta, as well as being the executive producer. Good Day Atlanta went on to became the number one show in its market, and won seven Emmy Awards. In 2006 Estes resigned at WAGA-TV and became CEO of BreakThrough Inc. (a media consulting firm). She taught as an adjunct professor at Clark Atlanta University and Emory University.

In 1991, Estes was elected the first woman president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). In result of her leadership, NABJ membership skyrocketed to over 2,000 journalists and went on to be included in Ebony’s list of Top 100 Black Organizations. In 1994, she led and helped create the first Unity Conference (an alliance of journalists of color), and was a huge factor in the release of their report Kerner Plus 25: A Call For Action, which outlined steps the media industry should take incorporate diversity. She also was the first woman to be elected president of the nation’s oldest and largest organization of journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists Estes-Sumpter led the golden age of NABJ. The membership skyrocketed over to over 2,000, and dozens of others were employees of the New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, NBC and ABC, Knight Ridder, Gannett and Tribune Co. and upcoming cable networks.

Impact
Sidmel Estes Sumpter wasn't just the first woman president of the National Association of Black Journalists, she also helped creat a new lane so that every woman journalist (despite color), could be granted the same opportunities in the journalism and television. Sidmel was an very well-known journalist and an outstanding mother. She was the ideal working woman in the media that many aspired to be like. She also lead the 1994 Unity convention (Journalists of Color), in which thousands of Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans journalist came together resulting in the biggest gathering of journalists in U.S. history. She presented "Kerner Plus 25L A Call For Action," which outlined the different steps the media industry could implement to improve racial diversity. She was keen in gathering leaders from the UNITY member groups at the time to the table as ex-officio members of RTDNA's board of directors, which continues to this day, as representatives from NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA, NAJA and NLGJA are part of each board meeting. Estes-Sumpter, who served on the National Association of Black Journalist's board, had plans to appoint men to top-level positions under her administration.

Awards and recognition

 * She helped create and build Good Day Atlanta at WAGA/Fox 5
 * She was selected as one of the “most interesting personalities” of Who's Who in Black Atlanta
 * In 1991 when she was elected as the first woman president of the National Association of Black Journalists.
 * In 1993, she was listed in Ebony magazine’s 100 Most Influential Black Americans and Organizations.
 * She was inducted as a charter member of the Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement.
 * She has won several local Emmy awards
 * In 2003, she received the Silver Circle award
 * In 1988, she was selected as the Media Woman of the Year
 * On November 18th, 1988 was proclaimed “Sidmel Estes-Sumpter Day” in the city of Atlanta.
 * NABJ Ida B. Wells Award Winner (2016)
 * featured in Ebony’s 100 Most Influential Black Americans in 1993
 * featured in More Magazine’s book 50 Over 50
 * president of the Northwestern Black Alumni Association in 2004

Reactions
“Even though we were competitors, I admired her work. She was a genius at putting together a program,” Pearson said. “She was literally the wind beneath the wings of the people on the anchor desk. She had a great sense of humor. She also suffered no foolishness. She expected you to do your best at your job with no excuses, even in a volunteer capacity.”

"Despite all of those accomplishments, in the last decade the vicissitudes of the journalism industry has left Sidmel as one of many talented people without a place to ply her trade," wrote Dillon on her fundraiser page.

"NABJ grieves for Miss Sidmel. Our hearts are so heavy. Sidmel's in-your-face leadership style was my introduction to the best of NABJ as a new student member in 1993," NABJ President Sarah Glover said. "I'm so sad she is gone, but her passion and love for NABJ lives on in all of us."

Temporary urls
https://www.google.com/search?q=sidmel+estes&ei=9D6CWo7vBdaSjwT1p5qIAw&start=10&sa=N&biw=1920&bih=1069


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