DON LEMON:
A VOICE TO LEAD THE WAY
MICHELE J MARTIN
As a CNN broadcaster, Don Lemon has been a familiar member of our households for ~20 years. He's been with us through the best and the worst of times — a trusted, consistent source of news we could look to when we need a calm and rational voice through the noise.
Born in Louisiana with Ghanaian and French Creole ancestry, Don Lemon was one of the few that always knew what he wanted to do — and where he wanted to do it .... NYC. To get closer to that goal, he decided to transfer from LSU to Brooklyn College. While in his senior year at Brooklyn College, he got his first break — interning at WNYW. He graduated the next year with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, but his career would take him around the country before letting him settle long term in his chosen home city.
He earned his broadcaster chops as a weekend anchor in Birmingham, Alabama, then Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In St. Louis, Missouri, he was an anchor and investigative reporter. He was brought back to NYC as a correspondent for Today and NBC Nightly News and as an anchor on Weekend Today, but this wouldn't last. In 2003 he would move to Chicago to take a role as a reporter and co-anchor at WMAQ-TV. It was here that he won his first Emmy awards.
It was 2006 when he would get the call that would bring him home to NYC — and into the homes of a more extensive viewer base at CNN. He has worked several desks at CNN in the nearly 15 years since he joined. We can currently find him as the host of CNN Tonight and as a contributing voice on high-level news stories both nationally and internationally. Since 2014, the on-location New Year's Eve from New Orleans co-host with fellow CNN broadcast journalist Brooke Baldwin.
Since joining CNN, Don Lemon has not shied away from controversy. He has vowed to live authentically, coming out as a survivor of childhood abuse by a neighbor in 2010 and as a proud gay Black man in 2011. Ten years later, he is still one of the few openly gay Black men in journalism.
He calls things as he sees them, and sometimes that means calling out his network or colleagues. He ruffles feathers. A lot of them. This has won him awards and, in October 2017, death threats. But, he stays true to his course and remains outspoken, using his platform as a journalist and his voice as a gay Black man to amplify stories of injustice and call loudly for change. Read more about Don Lemon.
"You don't have true freedom until you allow a diversity of opinion and a diversity of voices."
The following list is by no means exhaustive, as Don Lemon has also earned recognition for his work covering Hurricane Katrina and other breaking news stories around the United States and abroad.
AWARDS
2002
2006
2006
2006
Edward R. Murrow Award - Coverage of D.C. snipers
Emmy Award - Specialty Report - Consumer
"Life on Craigslist"
Emmy Award - News Feature Series
"Journey to Africa" (AIDS Pandemic)
Emmy Award - Alternate Media / New Media
"Journey to Africa" (AIDS Pandemic)
RECOGNITIONS
2009
2014
2016
2017
2019
150 Most Influential African Americans
— Ebony Magazine
50 Most Influential LGBTQ People in Media
— Advocate
Native Son Award
Power 50 "Most Influential LGBTQ People in the USA"
— Out
Pride 50 "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people"
— Oueerty
How appropriate that Don Lemon's VocaliD Voice Type is Anchor! His vocal style always projects relatability, openness, and he sounds like a friend, yet when he is serious about something, his voice commands attention. He knows how to use his voice to connect with his viewers and interview subjects.
While the world of broadcast journalism and television, in general, is becoming more diverse and representative in the types and styles of voices we are hearing, the world of digital voice has remained steps behind. The majority of the voices currently dominating the digital voice and text-to-speech synthetic voice markets lack diversity and range.
Imagine the possibilities — if the world of digital voice matched the world of human voice. If it was as dynamic and expressive? More representative? Guess what, now it can bee — learn more about diverse AI-Voice by VocaliD.
Anchor voices are defined as Loud, Deep, Modal, and Oral. Learn more about the unique characteristics that make up our voices and voice types here: VOCALiD Voice Types.
This is the eighth in our Iconic Black Voices series and a special post for World Cancer Day. Make sure to come back to our blog every day this month as we highlight more iconic Black voices in celebration of Black History Month.
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