Leah Hope
Prior to joining ABC 7, Hope worked at KATU-TV, the ABC affiliate in Portland, Oregon. At KATU-TV, she anchored weekend evening newscasts and reported during the week. Previously, she held the same positions at WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hope began her broadcasting career as a general assignment reporter at WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Maryland.
Hope's work covering issues in the African American community has been honored on both national and local levels. In 2003, she won two awards from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for reports on a group of "Lost Boys" attacked by a Chicago gang and changes in the cosmetic industry that reflect the changing face of America. The NABJ Chicago Chapter awarded Hope the 2003 Russ Ewing Excellence in Journalism Award and recognized her again with the 2004 Excellence in Enterprise Journalism Award for a series of reports on affirmative action.
Hope received an Emmy award for the half-hour primetime special, "9/11/02 The New Homeland." She contributed to "People, Places, and Things You Should Know: Women in Science and Technology," which won the 2001 Gracie Award from American Women in Radio and Television. Hope has been awarded several Peter Lisagor Awards, given by the Society of Professional Journalists, for stories ranging from breaking news coverage to consumer and business reporting. She was honored by the Chicago chapter of the Council on Islamic American Relations with the 2007 Media Award for ethical reporting. Hope was honored as the 2013 recipient of the Diogenes Award for Excellence in media from the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. In addition to that she won an Emmy for reporting during the 2012 NATO Summit.
Hope is as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is a Journalism Advisory Board member at Columbia College and belongs to several journalism organizations including: Investigative Reporters and Editors Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, American Women in Radio and Television, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Outside journalism, her community involvement includes work in the arts. She is a member of the Leadership Advisory Council at the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art and Instituto Cervantes of Chicago. Hope's charitable work took her to Minneapolis on bicycle to participate in the 2001 Chicago AIDS Ride. She has been involved in several breast cancer awareness campaigns to promote early detection.
Hope received her B.S. degree in Broadcast Journalism/Political Science from Syracuse University in New York. She is the great-granddaughter of John Hope; the first African-American president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. Hope is married and resides in the Chicago area.
Leah's Stories
Summer50 Fest offers information about kids' summer activities, jobs for young people
Summer is a month away, and there are still options for kids' activities and jobs for young people.
Long-awaited South Shore Line double-track to start running Tuesday
Monday is the grand opening of the long-awaited double-track of the South Shore Line.
Residents hope new project in Pullman, including 1st S. Side Chick-fil-A, will help revitalize area
Residents are hoping a new commercial center will help revitalize Chicago's Pullman neighborhood.
Chicago Public Schools cancels trip to national chess tournament, says protocols 'were not followed'
Parents are angry after they say a team of underprivileged students were denied by Chicago Public Schools the chance to compete in a national elementary school chess tournament. CPS officials are defending the decision.
'Combat Hate' aims to teach local young people digital media literacy, how to ID hate speech online
A presentation called "Combat Hate" from the Simon Wiesenthal Center aims to teach local teenagers and other young people digital media literacy, how to identify hate speech online and what to do about it.
Field Museum unveils one of science's most important dinosaur fossils: Archaeopteryx
The fossil is one of the earliest known dinosaurs that also qualifies as a bird.
New football field opens for Michele Clark Magnet High School in Austin
The principal says the time and energy were worth it to attract and maintain talented students and give local kids a safe space.
Access Living releases recommendations to help people with disabilities from gun violence
After two and a half years of research, Access Living released insights and recommendations to help people living with disabilities due to gun violence.
City motions to keep Lightfoot deposition private in wrongful death lawsuit for 10-year-old girl
In preparation for trial, lawyers for Da'Karia Spicer's family questioned then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The girl was killed in a 2020 crash, which involved Chicago police who were trying to make a traffic stop.
Organizers push back against plan to downsize the Chicago Pride Parade 2024 in Lakeview on June 30
The city of Chicago is getting pushback about plans to downsize this year's Pride Parade.