Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio, City Comptroller-Elect Scott Stringer, Brooklyn Borough President-Elect Eric Adams, and City Councilwoman-Elect Laurie Cumbo Honored with ‘Speaking Truth To Power’ Award

The Andrew W. Cooper Young Journalists In Training program (YJIT) at St. Francis College honored Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio, City Comptroller-Elect Scott Stringer, Brooklyn Borough President-Elect Eric Adams, and City Councilwoman-Elect Laurie Cumbo with its 2013 Speaking Truth To Power Award on October 30in the College’s Founders Hall. Chirlane McCray acceptrf the award on behalf of her husband, Mr. de Blasio Serving as Masters of Ceremonies were clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere, entertainment visionary Ralph McDaniels and attorney Jacqueline McMickens.

Named for pioneering publisher and Civil Rights activist Andrew W. Cooper, the YJIT program is celebrating a decade of preparing students to represent his uncompromising accountability to citizens in their careers as journalists. “Speaking Truth To Power,” was the motto of The City Sun, Cooper’s heralded Brooklyn-based weekly newspaper, published from 1984-1996. The program offers training, career advice and internships at media organizations and lectures by media powerbrokers. Emmy-Award-winning producer and author Andrea Cooper Andrews, daughter of the late publisher, is YJIT’s founder. She administers and teaches the program and is very proud of its accomplishments and its students.

“In the past year alone,” she says, “our interns were published over 150 times in The Home Reporter, which is Brooklyn’s number one newspaper. And with a 100% placement record, our students have completed more than 90 highly-competitive internships at companies such as WABC-TV, The Daily News and NY1 Noticias. Many of our graduates are currently earning a full-time living in media and will affect and influence millions of people over the course of their careers.”

The honorees have been chosen for their exceptional commitment to public service and for being a living example for young people.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.

###

St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu