Black History Month Profile: TaRhonda Thomas

02/12/2016

TaRhonda Thomas, a Baton Rouge native and 1999 graduate of the Manship School, is an award-winning broadcast journalist who currently works as a reporter and anchor at KUSA-TV in Denver.

 

From features to breaking news to special reports, Thomas covers a wide range of stories and has become a well-rounded reporter who often sees her stories through from start to finish. In addition, she anchors two midday newscasts.

 

After graduating from LSU, Thomas’ first full-time job was at KWBJ-TV in Morgan City – a small market where she had to shoot, write, edit and produce nearly every story, as well as anchor the newscast. Thomas moved to Colorado Springs a year later when she was hired at KOAA-TV. Three years after that, she took a job as reporter and anchor in Richmond, Virginia, before she ended up in Denver.

 

Thomas’ many accolades include being named “Broadcast Journalist of the Year” by the Colorado Association of Black Journalists and receiving six awards from the National Association of Black Journalists. She’s also won Heartland Emmy Awards, Edward R. Murrow Awards and Associated Press Awards for her work.

 

For Thomas, celebrating Black History Month and diversity in the media is important because it gives people the opportunity to learn about things they may have never known about.

 

“It gives people a sense of the sacrifice that so many African Americans made in order to ensure equality for us all,” she says.

 

Diversity in the media is necessary, Thomas added, because we live in a diverse world and people of all backgrounds want to see their stories reflected.

 

“Black History Month is an opportunity to explore that diversity; but, really, it should be something we do every day,” she says. “If news organizations seek out diversity on a daily basis (whether that be through their hiring practices or editorial decisions), we’ll all benefit from knowing that those news organizations truly are interested in reflecting the diversity of our world.”

 

The Manship School is in “the ranks of the country’s strongest programs,” according to a team of outside experts.