Steve Osunsami | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1971 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Joe Remillard |
Steve Osunsami [1] is a Nigerian-American journalist. He is a senior national correspondent for ABC News in Atlanta, Georgia, contributing reports to World News with David Muir , Good Morning America , and other station broadcasts and platforms since his start with ABC News in 1997. [2] [3] [4]
Osunsami was born in Washington, D.C., to parents who were Nigerian immigrants. [5] Osunsami has shared that he came from poverty and is a graduate of the Head Start Program. [6] He is a graduate of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, [7] where being an Illinois Broadcasting Association intern and writing for The Daily Illini helped launch his career. [8] [9]
Osunsami started his career at WREX-TV in Rockford, Illinois, WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and at KOMO-TV in Seattle before becoming a correspondent for ABC News in 1997. [10]
His work has taken him all over the country, from covering riots in Baltimore and Ferguson Missouri, [11] to the 2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida, [12] and the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at the Charleston church shooting in 2015. [13]
Osunsami was the subject of political debate after he was one of several African-American reporters who showed emotion live on the air on the night of the election of the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. [14]
Amidst the political and racial unrest of 2020, Osunsami covered the killing of Rayshard Brooks and the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. [15]
Osunsami wrote and hosted the ABC podcast "Soul of a Nation: Tulsa's Buried Truth," which explores the 1921 Tulsa race massacre through archival audio and conversations with historians. Speaking on his personal connection to the project, Osunsami said, "It shocks me, as a high school and college-educated Black American, that until recently, the details of the Tulsa massacre have escaped me, and I think that’s a shame. It says a ton about the way we, as Americans, record history that’s racist and ugly. We like to give it the silent treatment. And like a fight with someone in your family, simply ignoring the injury never makes it go away." [16]
An essay by Osunsami was featured in the book, “My America: What My Country Means to Me, by 150 Americans from All Walks of Life,” edited by Hugh Downs. [17]
Osunsami has won or been nominated for many awards, including a National Emmy Award. [18] In 2022, he was inducted into the Illini Media Hall of Fame. [19] Osunsami’s documentary special “Soul of a Nation: Acceptance High” won a 2023 Webby Award. [20] In 2023, Osunsami was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Silver Circle Society of Honor. [21]
Osunsami identifies as gay and has spoken publicly on both his experiences as a black gay man in journalism, and a black member of the LGBTQ community. [22] He is married to Joe Remillard. [23]