Famous Friday: Suzanne Malveaux

Suzanne Malveaux main
We watch a lot of CNN in our house and one of our favorite journalists is Suzanne Malveaux. Suzanne is an award-winning TV journalist who has been a national correspondent, covering politics, news and culture for CNN since 2002, the year I was born. She anchored the CNN program Around The World and CNN Newsroom; served as a White House correspondent, and much more.

Malveaux graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in sociology, just like my sister, former Project RACE Teens President Kayci Baldwin. Suzanne went on to earn a master’s degree in broadcasting from the Columbia. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and served as a panelist questioning the candidates in the Democratic presidential primary debate in South Carolina sponsored by CNN and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute in January 2008. She has interviewed presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. She has also gotten to cover some really fascinating stories around the world. For example, she traveled to South Africa to interview the family of Nelson Mandela. She has also broken some big news, such as the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Pretty awesome opportunities.

She has also been recognized as “One of America’s Most Powerful Players Under 40″ by Black Enterprise, Ebony’s ”Outstanding Women in Marketing & Communications”, The Root.com 100’s “Most Influential Young African Americans”, and Essence Magazine’s “2009 Journalist of the Year”. In 2005, Malveaux returned to New Orleans to report on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Her team earned a Peabody Award for that reporting.

Suzanne was born in Lansing, Michigan but grew up in New Orleans and Maryland. Her father, Dr. Floyd Joseph Malveaux, is Louisiana Creole, and her mother, the former Myrna Maria Ruiz, is a retired schoolteacher of Latin heritage. Suzanne has three siblings, including an identical twin named Suzette who also attended Harvard. All of the siblings have very successful careers. She also has a young adopted three year old daughter. Malveaux is committed to promoting awareness and research for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), which is very personal as her mother, Myrna, suffers from the debilitating disease. She enjoys participating in marathons and triathlons and is very active on Twitter. I enjoy following her and recommend you follow too! 

— Karson Baldwin, Co-President Project RACE Teens

photo cred: liverampup.com