Bridgeport’s own Adrienne Broaddus is a CNN reporter based in Chicago, and as a winter storm heads our way on the morning of Feb. 22, she is reporting from Minneapolis. Purple ski jacket, plain black stocking cap, and somehow her glasses are not fogging out in the cold.
Here is how she describes her career thus far, on LinkedIn. Please keep in mind that Adrienne wrote this prior to reporting on the tragedy at Michigan State, her own alma mater.
“I blame Pops (Rev. Paul Broaddus). If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be a 5x Emmy-Award winning journalist. I wanted to become a dentist or a singer. But Pops, as I affectionately call my dad, made me write. And my mom (Gloria) made me look up words in the dictionary and research topics using the Encyclopedia.
“I wrote about the time I caught tadpoles in a pond near my grandmother’s home in Arkansas. I wrote about my elementary school field trips. And when I was 16-years-old, I wrote a letter demanding my parents extend my curfew. But, if my Pops hadn’t demanded I follow the words within, I never would have told one of the most moving stories of my career, a Shared Heart. I witnessed a grieving Minnesota family hear their son’s heartbeat inside another man’s chest. If it weren’t for my dad’s push to put my pen to paper I never would’ve produced pieces for CNN focused on the fight against COVID, Black Maternal Health, and policing in America.
“I believe in the power of storytelling and its ability to help people see the invisible. I’m honored my stories have won awards. The most meaningful have been from the National Association of Black Journalists and Donate Life. I’m an organ donation advocate. My uncle Ricky died on the waiting list for a new kidney. My cousin Cynthia died hours before a scheduled liver transplant. My uncle Ken was too sick to be considered for a new kidney but someone’s sacrifice gave us more time with my Uncle Al.
“Storytelling is my superpower. Right now, I’m a CNN Correspondent primarily covering the Midwest. My reports include breaking news like the Highland Park, IL shooting and mass casualties like the Uvalde massacre that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Some of my policing in America stories include the trial coverage of former Minnesota Police officers like Derek Chauvin and Kim Potter – both convicted of killing unarmed Black men.
“Before joining CNN, I was a solo journalist in Minneapolis, MN at KARE-TV where I anchored KARE 11 News at 11 a.m. Monday – Friday. Before the unrest erupted in Minneapolis in 2020, I challenged my then station managers to question the initial police statement saying George Floyd died from a medical condition. And today, I have my Pops to thank for pushing the possibility of a journalism career. It all started with a few words, a father’s pride, and a dream.”
For a report on Adrienne’s emotions during her reports last week from Michigan State, click here.
