- Book Authority: Best New Journalism Books (2020)
- National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame
- Doctor of Humane Letters, Spelman College
- Doctor of Laws (honorary), Briarwood College, Southington, Conn.
- Hall of Fame, Southern Regional Press Institute, Savannah State University
- Women of Distinction, Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama
- Ida B. Wells award for national media diversity, given by the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Conference of Editorial Writers
- Robert G. McGruder award for national media diversity, given by the Associated Press Managing Editors and the Freedom Forum
- Hall of Fame, National Association of Black Journalists, Southeast /Region III
- Career Achievement Leadership Award, Columbia University School of Journalism