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2021 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 389
Commending Kojo Nnamdi.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, February 4, 2021
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 8, 2021

 

WHEREAS, Kojo Nnamdi, an esteemed radio host whose program, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, has informed and entertained listeners for years, will retire in 2021; and

WHEREAS, born Rex Orville Montague Paul in Guyana, Kojo Nnamdi, who is referred to simply as “Kojo” by colleagues and avid listeners, cultivated an interest in politics during his childhood, when visitors to his parents’ home, sandwiched between a winery and a rum shop, gathered to debate politics; and

WHEREAS, in 1967, Kojo Nnamdi moved to Montreal to attend McGill University, where he became interested in the Black Power Movement; he moved to Washington, D.C., two years later and began to explore opportunities in journalism; and

WHEREAS, Kojo Nnamdi served as a news editor and then news director at Howard University’s WHUR-FM starting in 1973, and from 1985 to 2011, he hosted the university’s public affairs television program, Evening Exchange; and

WHEREAS, in 1998, Kojo Nnamdi became the full-time host of Public Interest, a two-hour show on Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia’s public radio station WAMU, which in 2002 was renamed The Kojo Nnamdi Show; and

WHEREAS, focusing his show locally, Kojo Nnamdi sought to bridge the gap between the region’s African American and white audiences, fostering greater understanding of how the complexities of race impact the region; and

WHEREAS, with segments such as “Kojo for Kids” and “Kojo in Your Community,” as well as interviews with local leaders such as Governor Ralph Northam and Alexandria Public Schools superintendents, Kojo Nnamdi helps unite the community around meaningful discourse; and

WHEREAS, Kojo Nnamdi’s “Friday Politics Hour” with cohost Tom Sherwood has for years hosted guests across the political spectrum in the Commonwealth, including Governors, mayors, and members of the General Assembly and United States Congress, making government more accessible to the citizens it serves; and

WHEREAS, after 23 years delivering news, context, and insight to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, The Kojo Nnamdi Show will air its final episode on April 1, 2021; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Kojo Nnamdi, distinguished host of WAMU’s The Kojo Nnamdi Show, on the occasion of his retirement; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Kojo Nnamdi as an expression of the General Assembly’s heartfelt admiration for his cultural and intellectual contributions to the Commonwealth.