By Joseph Green-Bishop
Arise Rejoice News Service

As an effervescent and thoughtful teenager growing up in East Orange, New Jersey, Cheryl Smith rushed to the dance floor whenever a song by the soul icon James Brown was played. Little did she know then, as she danced until she was exhausted, that one day not only would she meet and interview the Godfather of Soul, but she would also become one of America’s leading media personalities, celebrated and honored by those whose careers and lives she touched and enhanced.

Not unlike a lighthouse in a tumultuous storm, a writer, editor, professor, and publisher for four decades, has created and sustained an enduring legacy of perseverance, grace, excellence, and faith, according to those who have worked with her over the years. In October, Smith, the president of I Messenger Media (Texas Metro News, Garland Journal, and I Messenger) in North Texas, will have her portrait placed on a wall in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida, where she was a journalism student.

“Cheryl Smith embodies everything the ‘Thelma Thurston Gorham Alumni Award’ stands for,” said Dean Mira Lowe, who directs the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication. Dr. Gorham, the first Black female reporter in the United States, taught at several colleges before joining the faculty of FAMU, where she founded the School of Journalism. She passed away in 1992. “Cheryl’s decades of excellence in journalism, her unwavering commitment to uplifting communities, and her continued support reflect the very spirit and mission that Professor Gorham championed.

Cheryl’s legacy lives not just in the stories she tells, but in the voices she empowers and in the paths she paves,” said Dean Lowe, who selected Smith for the award. With this honor, Smith becomes the first member of the Black Press to grace the Wall. Upon graduation, Smith was pleased that she had a job offer, turning her internship into a reporter position with the Capital Outlook in Tallahassee, FL. Smith is a lifetime member of NABJ, and FAMU National Alumni Association, and a Golden Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

If you know Smith, you know of her great love for FAMU. While she keeps in touch with her former Dean Bob Ruggles, via social media, there are also several professors she has fond memories of and who left an indelible mark on her life:

Dr. Barbara Cotton – “At a young age, she had her doctorate, was chair of the history department, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, beautiful and super smart!” “Mrs. Ann Foster was secretary to the Director of Student Activities. She spent a lot of time pouring her values and sharing life lessons with me. Even after I graduated and moved to Texas, she would check up on me. She was the wife of the great Dr. William Foster, Marching 100 Band Director. “Dr. Thelma T. Gorham taught many of my journalism classes. She was tough, was not trying to be a friend. She stressed excellence and challenged you to do better.”

Over the years, she has won numerous awards as a multimedia journalist. In addition to more than 20 years as a talk show host on the radio, she has held multiple editor positions and written for numerous publications, including The Dallas Weekly, Dallas Post Tribune, Minority Opportunity News, Dallas Times Herald, Dallas Examiner, Dallas Morning News, Black Headline News, USA Today, and NNPA Newswire Service.

In North Texas and throughout the country, the impact of Smith’s work and the quality of life have affected the lives of numerous media professionals, government leaders, students, business owners, members of the clergy, and ordinary citizens. “There are not enough words to describe Cheryl’s contributions to journalism and especially to the Black Press,” said Bob Ray Sanders, a former award-winning editorial writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“It is not hyperbole to say that Cheryl’s name belongs up there with Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Ida B. Wells,” said Mr. Sanders, who lauded Smith as “unselfish and unconcerned about personal recognition.” A true champion of the Black Press, Smith currently sits on the board of the NNPA and NNPA Fund, and strongly believes the Black Press is and will always be necessary and relevant. “When the Black Press was established, it filled a void. Black people were not covered, respected (didn’t use courtesy titles, for example), or featured for the most part, in the so-called ‘mainstream media,’” she said.

“The Black Press covered our communities and our people. We wrote about people from the rooter to the tooter — from the beginning to the end (when you were born until the day you died).” She appreciates those who also love and respect the Black Press. Sanders’s adulation for Smith was echoed by the noted national commentator and writer, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, who described her sorority sister as a national treasure. “When I think of Cheryl, I think of Black women who have embraced the power of the pen.

She is more than a journalist and publisher; she is a tireless advocate, an activist, and an influential mentor for young journalists.” Malveaux complimented Smith’s role in the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), where she currently serves as the organization’s treasurer. I cannot imagine our world without Cheryl’s energy and talent,” Malveaux said. “We need her voice and her commitment.

Another sorority member, Dr. Sheron Patterson, has known Smith for decades. Smith and Patterson also worked at Service Broadcasting at radio stations KKDA-AM and KRNB-FM, respectively. “My Soror in Delta Sigma Theta is a certified way maker,” said the retired United Methodist Pastor who is also a best-selling author, highly requested speaker, and breast cancer survivor; affectionately known as “The Love Doctor,” resides in North Texas. “The way she uses her platform to lift up other women is a Masterclass on sisterhood. She lifts up topics for women and about women that others overlook,” said the international religious leader. Smith enjoys working with young people and aspiring journalists.

“Cheryl Smith was the guiding light in the Urban Journalism Workshop where I, and others like me, were trained and introduced to the world of communication,” said Rodney Thrash, a veteran newspaper reporter and digital communicator. “Because of Cheryl, I completed my first professional internship before I even stepped on a college campus. Her investments continue to bear fruit in my life.”

Many of her former students still maintain close relationships with her decades later. “Cheryl Smith taught me how to confidently introduce myself at a press conference, how to conduct meaningful interviews, and how to approach the craft of journalism with curiosity and accuracy,” said Angela Lang, a senior vice-president at a major public relations firm, Tony Fay PR, in Dallas. “She has trained a generation of journalists,” said Lang, who met her “role model” when she participated in the D/FW Association of Black Journalists Urban Journalism Workshop.

Smith became director of the program after its founder, veteran journalist Rochelle Riley, relocated, and another Dallas Morning News staffer, Karen Thomas, served for one year. For more than two decades, she trained workshop students, bringing in local, national, and international media giants and personalities, like former Emerge Magazine editor George E. Curry, Talk Show Host Tavis Smiley, filmmaker Haile Gerima, and Country/ Western singer, IMAJ.

“Her influence continues to ripple outward through the countless students she has trained, supported, and inspired,” said Lang, a former local and national television personality who is a longtime member of NABJ and PRSA. Smith has spent years as a college professor. In addition to teaching at the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University, and Dallas College, Smith taught at Paul Quinn College, where she was advisor to several student groups, including the NABJ Chapter.

Over the years, she planned road trips with elementary through graduate school students so they could experience professional programs, conventions, and workshops. Additionally, through her Don’t Believe the Hype Foundation, more than $500K in scholarships, grants, internships, and fellowships have been awarded to students. “Cheryl deserves the award from FAMU and more,” said Dr. Dorothy Bland, a former dean and current professor at the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas.

Bland also taught journalism at FAMU for several years. And others agree because Smith has won numerous awards for community service, journalism, education, philanthropy, and activism. She was a two-time Hall of Famer inducted into the NABJ and the African American Education Archives and History Program Hall of Fame. Her picture hangs in Dallas’ African American Museum among Education giants in Dallas.

She has been honored by several of the Divine 9 member organizations, Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Dallas and Garland Branch NAACPs, Fort Worth Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, New Black Panther Party, Coalition of 100 Black Women-Dallas, Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Press Club of Dallas, Elite News, Dallas Examiner, NCNW, Texas Publishers Association, NABJ, NNPA, Le Messager, News Leaders Association, and Journalism Education Association.

In 2022, Editor and Publisher Magazine named Smith one of 25 publishers over 50. “The world is better because of her fine work as a drum major for justice in media. Her life’s journey and commitment to family speak volumes about the amazing leader that she is,” said Dr. Bland, whose students were provided internships at Smith’s newspapers. “To see Cheryl journey from the time that we were students at FAMU to receiving the Professor Thelma Thurston Gorham award is a joy to witness,” said Bobby R. Henry, the publisher of the Westside Gazette Newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and immediate past chair of the NNPA.

Cheryl is best characterized as a ‘servant leader,’ said Henry. “She is one hell of a lady.” Well-respected as a journalist and business leader throughout North Texas, Ms. Smith has developed a working relationship between her company and the region’s top daily printing news organization. “The Dallas Morning News wanted to partner with Cheryl and her team because we knew that she was a consummate professional who could help us connect in southern Dallas in ways that others could not replicate,” said Grant Moise, the publisher and chief executive officer of the newspaper.

“Cheryl Smith is the type of journalist who does things the right way. She not only covers the community, but she is also a part of it and truly has her finger on the pulse of the world around her.” One friend has known Smith since grammar school days. “I recall when Cheryl and I walked to elementary school in New Jersey,” said Patrice M. Manigo, who grew up in the same neighborhood in East Orange with Cheryl, and remains her best friend — her “bestest.”

“She has always been driven to create a better life for others and for herself,” said Manigo, who said that her friend was voted one of the “best looking” seniors at East Orange High School, where Smith was also on the school newspaper staff. “Cheryl is an absolutely unselfish human being who has always sought and fought for a better life and world for all of those around her. “She is a champion of journalism, and I am so proud that she is being honored by her alma mater,” Manigo added.

When asked what legacy she would like to leave the world, Smith said, “All I have is my word and my work. I try to let my work speak for me, and when I do speak, I want what I say to be valued because it is the truth. I also want to continue lifting as I climb, bringing others along with me, and hopefully, while not making it too easy, at least helping make their journey less stressful and painful. I tell students or young employees that I can’t make them into celebrities (because that is the culture that is dominating right now), but I can teach them how to do work that will be celebrated.”

Florida A&M University was founded on October 3, 1887. In addition to the main Tallahassee campus, the website notes that FAMU has several satellite campuses, including the College of Law in Orlando and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, which has sites in Crestview, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami. Festivities scheduled during Homecoming 2025, in addition to the unveiling of Smith’s portrait and the football game between FAMU and SWAC powerhouse Alcorn State University, include the Coronation of Mr. and Miss FAMU, a reception honoring alums Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, and the unveiling of the statue of FAMU’s 8th President, Dr. Frederick S. Humphries.

Joseph Green-Bishop is the senior director of Arise & Rejoice Media.

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