Even if you don’t recognize the name, you’d know the voice. It’s the iconic dreep drawl belonging to one of most prolific journalists of today. However while his hard-hitting work and decades-long dedication to the field deserve all the recognition it receives, it is his history-defining triumph as an African-American reporter that is the focus of today’s article. This week’s spotlight: Lester Holt.

Holt was born on March 8, 1959, on Hamilton Air Force Base, Marin County, California. His large family, consisting of three siblings in which Holt was the youngest, boasted a diverse heritage. For one, Holt’s father Lester Don Holt Sr. was African American, while his mother June (DeRazio) was of Jamacian descent. You might expect a man of such acclaim to brag of an Ivy League attendance, but on the contrary Holt would never end up graduating from university. After getting his GED at the Cordova High School in 1977, Holt would end up dropping out of California State University, Sacramento while in the process of majoring in government. 

Far from hindering his productivity, the decision to not complete university allowed Holt to immediately pursue his passions. After leaving his position as a disc jockey at a Country and Western station that he had taken on to pay for college bills, Holt would embark on a 19-year journey with CBS. Altering from news anchor to reporter, Holt’s partnership with the channel would endure for nearly two-decades until he left to join MSNBC (Britannica). It was here that Holt would truly write his name in the history books, and in doing so open the doors for so many future generations of Black Americans. In 2007 he would become anchor of the weekend edition of NBC’s Nightly News, hosting the gig for eight years until his eventual promotion to permanent anchor for the weekday edition (Wikipedia).  This was a spectacular feat that would help pave the field for aspiring Black reporters, with Holt becoming the first African-American to solo anchor a weekday night newscast.

Holt’s prowess in his occupation would lead to an array of impressive achievements. From covering sports at the Beijing Olympics 2008 and moderating the 2016 Presidential Debate, to continuing to host the critically acclaimed Nightline series, Lester Holt has forever established his presence in journalism. With his success, Holt defies a system stacked against African-Americans and became an unstoppable force of inspiration and drive.