1991
Bio:
It is often said that those who speak the softest command the most attention and nowhere is that more evident than in Carmen Harlan, WDIV anchorwoman. She has distinguished herself in exploring less than mainstream topics on parenting, children and minority issues such as Harvest of Pride, a program commemorating Black History Month and Growing Up Good, a three-part series on people who overcome huge odds as children to lead productive lives. Whether any of this is still fashionable doesn't matter to her. All she knows is for the past 11 years on WDIV she has fiercely stood by her community. It doesn't matter to her that she has won the Sojourner Truth Award, the Spirit of Detroit Award and the YMCA Minority Achievers Award. It also doesn't matter that she is active in the March of Dimes, Detroit Institute of Children and NAACP. What matters most to her is helping people. For this and for the high degree of professionalism she has demonstrated in her work, she has rightfully earned the community's respect and admiration.
Citation:
Your achievements in the field of broadcasting and your efforts to boost the City of Detroit have made the name Carmen Harlan one of the most recognizable around. The ever-increasing popularity of your special programs, which focus on important community topics such as parenting, children and minority issues, is a tribute to the excellence you bring to your profession. Your insightful interviews and caring nature have allowed many of us to expand our understanding of our society and the way we live today. And your earnest commitment to Detroit and its citizens is obvious in the countless civic and charitable endeavors you actively support each year, such as the March of Dimes, Detroit Institute of Children and NAACP. You have earned the community's respect and admiration. We are pleased to honor such an accomplished professional with the President's Cabinet Award.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, We have hereunto inscribed our names at Detroit, Michigan this twentieth day of September in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred ninety-one.
Maureen A. Fay, O.P., President
Robert A. Mitchell, S.J., Chancellor