As a pioneering female reporter who happened to be the daughter of Lebanese immigrants in the white male-dominated realm of White House correspondents, Helen Thomas broke journalistic barriers and advanced diversity in the field.

The Arab American News Publisher, Osama Siblani, accepts his award.

Thomas became the first woman to ever hold the position of chief of the White House Bureau in 1974 and is a syndicated columnist and noted author. On Friday, April 16, her alma mater, Wayne State University, recognized a variety of media leaders and WSU students who embody the essence of her work at the Tenth Annual Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Awards & Reception at St. Andrew’s Hall on campus.The Arab American News and Publisher Osama Siblani were among those honored as Siblani was named a “Work in the Spirit of Diversity Honoree” for his work over the paper’s 25 years of covering the Arab American community as well as national and international issues.”Mr. Siblani is someone who takes no prisoners and tells it like it is,” said Ben Burns, who is the director of Wayne State’s journalism program, during his introduction. Siblani said he had always dreamed of meeting Thomas since switching from a career in electrical engineering to founding the newspaper in 1984 and finally got the chance at a book signing event at WSU. He later shared the stage and award with her at an event with famous Egyptian_ actor Omar Sharif.”Helen Thomas means a lot to me and to our community, she’s a part of our story,” he said. “And our story is something you’ll always find in The Arab American News.”Other award winners included Bankhole Thompson, senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle newspaper, which focuses on African American issues; Walter Middlebrook, the assistant managing editor of the Detroit News; Leonard Pitts, Jr., a syndicated national columnist who writes about minority issues; and Lynette Clemetson, founder of TheRoot.com, a Web site that focuses on contemporary black issues.Clemetson spoke about the current state of journalism.”We certainly have a challenging time but I truly believe it is also a time of unprecedented opportunity for young journalists,” she said. “It’s now just as much about going out and making jobs (through Web sites or other publications) as finding them.”Clemetson also said she was happy to see more diverse voices thriving in journalism and stressed the need for more.”It’s good to see that diversity and our voices are being represented and it’s good to see the passion that students still have for traditional journalism.” Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Scholarships were given out to four students: Lauren Abdel-Razzaq, Isaac Elster, Stennett Nyeknyeka, and Hyatt Fathy. Robert G. McGruder scholarships were also awarded to four students: Illissa Gilmore, Jillian Grandison, Aysha Jamali, and David Shuman.