About Roland Martin

A nationally award-winning and multifaceted journalist, Mr. Martin is the author of Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith, and Speak, Brother! A Black Man\'s View of America, and his newest book, The First: President Barack Obama\'s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.\" Mr. Martin is a commentator for TV One Cable Network and host of \"Washington Watch with Roland Martin,\" a one-hour Sunday morning news show. He is also a CNN Analyst, appearing on a variety of the network\'s shows. In October 2008, he joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show as senior analyst.

Named by Ebony Magazine in 2008, 2009 and 2010 as one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States, he is the 2009 winner of the NAACP Image Award for Best Interview for \"In Conversation: The Michelle Obama Interview.\" He is the 2008 winner of the NAACP Image Award for Best Interview for \"In Conversation: The Sen. Barack Obama Interview.\" In 2009, CNN was awarded the Peabody Award for its outstanding 2008 election coverage, of which Martin was a member of the Best Political Team on Television.

Martin, named one of the top 50 political pundits by the Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom, was also awarded the 2008 President\'s Award by the National Association of Black Journalists for his work in multiple media platforms. In 2008, he was also inducted into the Texas A&M University Journalism Hall of Honor.

An insightful and provocative analyst, Mr. Martin has appeared numerous times on a variety of American networks, as well as media outlets in Canada, Columbia, Italy, Australia and South Africa.

From October 2005 to October 2008, he served as a radio talk show for WVON-AM in Chicago, first as mid-day host and later as morning drive host.

He is the former executive editor/general manager of the Chicago Defender, the nation\'s most historic Black newspaper. He is the former founding news editor for Savoy Magazine under the team of New York-based Vanguarde Media, and the former founding editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com.

He previously served as owner/publisher of Dallas-Fort Worth Heritage, a Christian monthly newspaper. He also has worked as managing editor of the Houston Defender and the Dallas Weekly, which he led to a number of local, state and national journalism awards. Mr. Martin has worked as morning drive reporter for KRLD/1080 AM; news director and morning anchor at KKDA-AM in Dallas; city hall reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; and county government and neighbors reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. He has also written pieces for Ebony and Essence magazines.

He has won more than 30 professional awards for journalistic excellence, including a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television News Directors; top reporting honors from the National Association of Black Journalists; the National Association of Minorities in Cable. and the National Associated Press-Managing Editors Conference.

Mr. Martin is a life member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc..

He is a 1987 graduate of Jack Yates High School-Magnet School of Communications, and a 1991 graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor\'s of science degree in journalism. In May 2008, Martin received a master\'s degree in Christian Communications from Louisiana Baptist University.

He has been awarded honorary degrees from Florida Memorial University and the University of Maryland-University College.

He is married to the Rev. Jacquie Hood Martin, author of Fulfilled! The Art and Joy of Balanced Living, and vice president of Kennedy-King College in Chicago. They reside in Chicago.

  11/21/16- Roland Martin talks to Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison about his desire to chair the Democratic National Committee. He explains why he be the choice. “We have low turnout. The answer is getting someone who can get turnout. We didn’t go get those people and get them to the ballot box,” Ellison said. Click […]

  11/16/16- Roland Martin delivers a message for the white democrat/progressive on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. “When I said y’all better send black men out to talk to black men when it comes to voting. If they had put the resources where the people vote, they would’ve seen Hillary Clinton as President of the United States,” […]

  11/14/16- Roland Martin talks to the Tom Joyner Morning Show about how the country must move forward in a post-Donald Trump election win. Click the link above to hear why he says we need a black woman on the Supreme Court and why we should abolish the death penalty.  

  11/9/16- Roland Martin talks to Armstrong Williams, the business manager for Dr. Ben Carson, about the results of the 2016 election. Will Dr. Carson serve in Donald Trump’s administration? “Dr. Carson has no interest in serving in Mr. Trump’s cabinet. He believes in Mr. Trump. He was his advocate,” Williams said. “I never believed […]

  11/7/16- Roland Martin talks to Cornell Belcher, the President of Brilliant Strategies, about the latest in polling and the election. Belcher’s new book A Black Man In The White House is available today. “In order to beat Hillary you have to get above her. She’s going into election day in a better position. Florida and […]

  11/2/16- Roland Martin talks to Congressman G.K. Butterfield about voting in North Carolina with less than a week away from the 2016 election. “We’ve had 421,000 African Americans to vote early. That’s a 22% turnout. We’re engaged unlike any since 2008. The margin of victory is going to be in the African American vote. […]

  10/31/16- Roland Martin talks to Pierre Thomas, Justice Correspondent for ABC News about the latest bombshell email scandal involving Anthony Weiner. “here is now tension between the Justice department and the FBI. There had been a long standing tradition that you don’t comment on ongoing investigations. Now you have a situation where you’re 9 […]

  10/26/16- Roland Martin talks to senatorial candidate Deborah Ross about the voter suppression laws and economic issues in North Carolina. Click the link above to hear the entire interview.  

  10/24/16- Roland Martin talks to Francesca Chambers of the Daily Mail and Spencer Overton of the leading black think tank in America about Does Hillary have a bounce in her step? “She’s much more assured. After the presidential debates I think the confidence is there,” Chambers said. The importance of black voters in red states: “Black […]

  10/19/16- Roland Martin and the Pastor of Friendship West Baptist, Dr. Fredrick Haynes of  talk to the Democratic nominee for Vice President, Senator Tim Kaine about the upcoming presidential election, Donald Trump and much more. What to expect from tonight’s debate: “Her demeanor was presidential. She was calm even when Donald Trump tried to rattle her. She will […]

  10/17/16- Roland Martin talks to Tamika Mallory of the New York Justice League about the importance of Ava Duvernay’s Netflix Original 13th.   “Ava has been able to explain something what we’ve been talking about. The constitution says you are free unless you commit a crime. I thought it was excellent that she was able […]

10/12/16- Roland Martin talks to the Tom Joyner Morning Show about the opening weekend numbers of Nate Parker‘s Birth Of A Nation. “We do not operate by mainstream media by what they say is a flop or not. The fact that it got made is a success. How is it that we can say after […]