LCCR Bestows Civil Rights Honor on Diverse Advocates: Tom Joyner
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 4/21/2004
This article is the first in a series about 2004's Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award honorees. The next installment will feature Ambassador Connie Morella.Known as the "hardest working man in radio," talk show host Tom Joyner will be one of three honorees at this year's Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner on May 17, 2004.
The Humphrey Award, established 27 years ago, honors the legacy of former United States vice president, senator, and civil rights pioneer Hubert H. Humphrey, whose years of public service, leadership, and dedication to equal opportunity changed the face of America. Dubbed the "the fly jock," Joyner has used his voice to support civil rights causes for more than 40 years.
Raised in Tuskegee, Ala., Joyner has been a part of the Civil Rights Movement for decades. While the Birmingham, Ala., boycotts of the 1960's were taking place, Tuskegeans had their own boycotts to fight for integration. Like many of the nation's black youth, Joyner participated in the boycotts and took his voice to the streets almost every week. One effort included integrating the airwaves of the local radio station, which refused to hire a black disc jockey or play "black" music. When the protest was successful, Joyner filled the spot as the city's first black DJ.
Immediately after graduating from the Tuskegee Institute with a degree in sociology, Joyner returned to the airwaves. Gaining experience from Montgomery and Memphis to St. Louis and Dallas, Joyner eventually landed in Chicago, where his unique, upbeat style caught the attention of listeners.
Joyner approached a crossroads in his career when offered a morning show in Chicago and an afternoon show in Dallas. True to his energetic style, Joyner took both jobs, making a daily commute of thousands of miles and earning the 'Fly Jock' moniker. The "Tom Joyner Morning Show" is now syndicated and airs on 95 stations with more than 10 million listeners.
Joyner's continued success in radio has given him a platform to advocate for social justice and equality. His listeners are encouraged daily to make their voices heard on the issues that concern them and their communities.
When Joyner's listeners speak, corporate America listens. After Christie's Auction House announced an auction of items from the slave trade, despite its policy against selling items from the Holocaust, Joyner pushed his listeners to make their feelings known. They jammed the phone lines at the auction house with calls and persuaded Christie's to call off the sale. He has also been successful in urging corporate America to sell airtime to black radio. His foundation, the Tom Joyner Foundation, sets aside money for students at historically black colleges and universities who cannot afford to continue their studies.
"First we get people laughing, then we get 'em to listen. If you can get people to listen, then they begin to think, and that's when they start making a difference," Joyner has said.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Award is considered the civil rights community's highest honor. The 180 national organizations that make up LCCR represent people of color, women, children, older Americans, people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, labor unions, major religious groups, and civil liberties and human rights groups.
