10th ANNUAL MMCD GALA EXTRAVAGANZA

Cam Newton

Bing Chen

Amna Nawaz

Amna Nawaz serves as co-anchor of PBS News Hour. Prior to joining PBS NewsHour in April 2018, Nawaz was an anchor and correspondent at ABC News, and before that she served as foreign correspondent and Islamabad Bureau Chief at NBC News. At the News Hour, Nawaz has reported across the country, and around the world on a range of topics including politics, immigration, foreign affairs, education, gun violence, criminal justice reform, the climate, culture, and sports. She also serves as an NBC News and MSNBC contributor.

https://bsky.app/profile/amnanawaz.bsky.social

Loni Love

LONI LOVE

Loni is a 2x EMMY & NAACP Image Award-winning entertainer, author, and activist. She holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Presidential Medal from her beloved Prairie View A&M University. Loni enjoys inspiring and encouraging audiences with her wit while giving an authentic point of view. A talk show host known for her dynamic ability to provide in-depth meaningful conversation with a hint of levity, Loni is a co-host for The Live from E! Red carpet specials. She was a guest cohost on E!’s Daily Pop and Nightly Pop. She has interviewed top A-List entertainers such as Melissa McCarthy, Issa Rae, and others. Loni cohosted FOX’s The REAL Daytime for 8 seasons in which she interviewed high-profile guests from Vice President Kamala Harris, Tracee Ellis Ross, Idris Elba and more.

Loni currently co-hosts the GRACIE Award-winning weekend radio show Café Mocha with rapper Yo-Yo. She has interviewed a variety of guests such as President Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama as well as superstars like Fantasia Barrino Taylor, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Tyler Perry, Jam & Terry among many others. Café Mocha is the only nationally syndicated show of its kind that was created exclusively BY and FOR women of color. The show is broadcast on over 35 stations including SiriusXM Channel 141.

Loni is a multi-hyphenated entertainer. She was a recurring guest star in the HBO-Max sitcom “The Gordita Chronicles”. Additionally, Loni is the Executive Producer of Little Women Unfiltered: Atlanta- an after show for Little Women: Atlanta, season six on Lifetime. Loni was also the host of the highly rated post Salt-N-Peppa movie interview with the real legendary artists on Lifetime. She is also the new first new narrator for the 13th season of Bridezillas on WETV. Loni has also Executive Produced a series of specials titled “Salute Her Awards” dedicated to honoring different women across the United States.

In addition, she served as the solo host for the 2020 and 2021 Daytime Emmys Children’s, Lifestyle and Animations Award Ceremony. Loni has appeared in myriad movies including Mother’s Day, the successful Paul Bart Mall Cop 2 opposite Kevin James, Soul Plane with Kevin Hart, the Bad Ass franchise with Danny Glover and Danny Trejo and Adopt A Highway alongside Ethan Hawke.

Loni is the subject of the documentary “Being Loni Love”, which traces her life story from her early days as a latchkey daughter growing up in Detroit’s Brewster- Douglas housing projects to national stand-up comedienne and successful host/actress. Author (“Love Him or Leave Him but Don’t Get Stuck with the Tab” came out in 2013), stand up comedienne, theatre actor, film star, television host, roving reporter, and part time aunt.

In 2019, she became the first female host on the mainstage of the Essence Music Festival in the Superdome in New Orleans. In 2020 she also hosted the first-ever virtual festival celebrating the magazine’s 50th anniversary. In 2023 Loni was the first female Comedian to headline the David Koz International cruise.

A philanthropist, Loni is an ambassador for Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote, NAACP, LA Mission, Dress for Success, Reach Higher, LA Regional Food Bank, Project Angel Food, Girl Scouts and the UNCF to name a few. She is a proud Detroiter and is a frequent speaker for organizations in her hometown. Loni was requested to give opening remarks for VP Harris in the organization Made To Save 2021 vaccine pop up event in Detroit. Loni also had a special moment as the 2020 commencement speaker for her high school alma mater, Cass Tech. Loni believes in the power of education and supporting HBCUs. She is proud a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Due to her work as alumni of PVAMU and constantly using her platform to promote HBCUs, Loni was awarded the rare honor of the Presidential Medal from PVAMU.

Loni’s second book, "I Tried To Change So You Don't Have To: True Life Lessons debuted in June 2020 and received a glowing review from the New York Times. The book is an inspiring, hilarious memoir about learning to resist the pressures of conformity, love yourself for who you are, embrace your flaws, and unlock your true potential available. It is now available at www.LoniLoveBook.com.

James Brown

James Brown (also known as JB) is the host of THE NFL TODAY on CBS. A five-time Emmy Award-winner, he has hosted the Super Bowl a record-breaking 11 times. Brown was the long-time host of INSIDE THE NFL on Showtime and Paramount +. He is also a Special Correspondent for CBS News, contributing across all News platforms. Brown’s numerous honors include:

·   September 2024: Inducted into the Washington Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame

·      May 2024: Received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the 45th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.

·      April 2024: Received Competitive Edge EQ’s James Brown Spirit of Service Award

·      October 2023: Received the National Association of Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award, their highest honor

·      March 2022: Received the Jackie Robinson Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism by One Hundred Black Men of New York

·      August 2020: Inducted into the Sports Video Group (SVG) Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame

·      2016: Inducted into the Broadcast Wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame receiving the Pete Rozelle Award for Excellence in Broadcasting

·      2014: Received “The Uncommon Award” from Tony Dungy for “Uncommon Leadership through Character and Faith”

·      2010: Named the Best Studio Host of the Decade by SI.com.

Brown is also an ordained minister, and enjoys speaking at churches and conferences around the country. Additionally, he is involved in a number of charitable organizations including:

·      GENYOUth, an organization committed to child health and wellness in the school community, of which he is a board member

·      The Ron & Joy Paul Kidney Center at The George Washington University

·      St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Errin Haines

Errin Haines Bio

Errin Haines is an award-winning journalist and a leading voice at the intersection of race, politics, and gender in America. She is the editor-at-large and a founding mother of The 19th, an independent nonprofit newsroom that aims to elevate the voices of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community in American journalism and democracy. Haines is also a political contributor on MSNBC. 

Prior to joining The 19th, Haines worked at The Associated Press, the Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta Daily World. Her work has been featured in publications including TIME, POLITICO, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Haines’ coverage spans the White House, Congress, campaigns, and grassroots movements—with a sharp focus on how policy impacts Black women and marginalized communities.

Her expertise on issues of race, gender and politics make her a sought-after thought leader in her industry. Haines was a visiting professor at the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Princeton University, teaching classes on Black women and democracy. 
She is a former board member of the National Association of Black Journalists and has served as a leader, mentor, and advocate for newsroom equity throughout her career.

Haines is currently writing a book on Black political leadership in Atlanta and the legacy of the city’s Black mayors. Whether in print, on air, or on stage, she is known for telling the truth with empathy, urgency, and unmatched clarity.

IG: @emarvelous
X: @errinhaines

Rocsi Diaz

Comcast NBC Universal

Dean Jacqueline Jones

Jackie Jones is a veteran journalist and dean of the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University. Previously, she was assistant dean for programs and chaired the Department of Multimedia Journalism.

Throughout her industry career, Jones worked in a variety of capacities in newsrooms around the country, including the Evening Sun (Baltimore), Detroit Free Press, New York Newsday, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Washington Post. While at New York Newsday, she was a member of the newsroom team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for Spot News Coverage. She has reported and blogged for several online publications, including BlackAmericaWeb.com, SeeingBlack.com, AtlantaBlackStar.com, and her own career coaching blog, The Business of You.

She also has written for JET magazine and Convergence – a special supplement to the Chronicle for Higher Education, and for mDiverse Issues in Higher Education.

At Morgan, she helped launched reporting and faculty exchange partnerships with West Virginia, North Carolina A&T, Howard, Penn State, and Brigham Young Universities, and professional partnership programs with the Wall Street Journal and Comcast/NBC Universal.

Jones has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Broadcast Education Association, and represented the NABJ on the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) for more than 20 years. She is now a member of the Council’s Accrediting Committee, and the Maryland, Delaware, DC (MDDC) Press Foundation Board. She also was a senior lecturer at Penn State University, and taught as an adjunct professor at several universities, including New York, Wayne State and Howard Universities.