May 6, 2016 4 min read

Sirius XM Radio talk show host and activist Joe Madison, known as “The Black Eagle,” landed at the NAACP Washington branch’s 56th Annual Human Rights Award Banquet on Friday at the DoubleTree by Hilton in North Strabane Township, where District Judge Traci McDonald-Kemp was the recipient of the Human Rights Award.

McDonald, a former deputy district attorney in charge of the Specialized Victim Unit and the first black female elected to the judiciary in Washington County, was honored for her “continued commitment to educational outreach on civics, law enforcement and social services.”

She was recognized for her advocacy efforts and her focus on community awareness in education. McDonald has organized and participated in countless seminars, programs and workshops for community, civic, religious, law enforcement, educational, social service and family based organizations.

Madison, whose talk radio show can be heard every weekday morning coast to coast, delivered the dinner’s keynote address.

Serving as Mistress of Ceremonies was Dr. Jan Ivery, a 1991 graduate of Washington High School and associate professor in the School of Social Work at Georgia State University.

McDonald, whose father, business, civil rights and community leader James R. “Cookie” McDonald, is a previous Human Rights Award winner, gratefully accepted the award and said she was overwhelmed by the honor.

“Why I’m so overwhelmed is because when I look at the names and go over the past recipients of this award, many of the people played such a pivotal role in my life,” McDonald said.

“They are so enormous to me, and I have such respect and esteem for the people who are listed in this program (as previous winners), and knowing what they have done for the community, knowing what they have done for others, and knowing that they have personally done for me, that I just can’t imagine even being thought of in the same page, in the same breath, as these people who I saw as such great – and still see as such great – building blocks in my life and the lives of so many others.”

McDonald also thanked her late mother, who died 23 years ago, and whom she credited for teaching counsel, patience, hard work, perseverance and respect for human rights.

“The time I spent with her was such quality time,” said McDonald, who called her mother her best friend.

Madison, named one of Talker Magazine’s 10 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts nine times, jumped into political activism as the executive director of the Detroit branch of the NAACP at the age of 24.

He recently raised $200,000 for the Smithsonian African American History and Culture Museum in Washington, D.C., by hosting a marathon, recognized by the Guinness World Records, where he talked for 52 straight hours on his show.

Madison told attendees education must be the top priority in today’s world.

“Education is the new currency of the 21st century. There are only going to be two kinds of people, and it’s not black or white, not rich or poor, not foreign or national. It will be educated or uneducated,” he said.

He also expressed dismay at the current political environment, but said it presents “an opportunity.”

“It publicly exposes the worst of America,” he said, and it is up to NAACP and voters to keep politics from “swinging to the extreme.”

Madison, who encourages his listeners to “do something about it,” told banquet-goers to turn moments like the NAACP banquet into “movements.”

“You know what the difference between a moment and a movement is,” Madison asked. “It’s sacrifice.”