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Mosaic Miami (formerly MCCJ), a nonprofit dedicated to fostering unity and inclusivity within our community, is proud to announce that Peter Maer, former CBS News White House Correspondent, will receive the prestigious Hank Meyer Headliner Award for his outstanding storytelling that highlights individuals striving for a more unified society. The award ceremony will be hosted by Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald Senior Director for Journalism Sustainability and Partnerships, on February 6, 2025. It will also feature a special fireside chat between Maer and Kelvin Pierce, author of Sins of My Father: Growing Up with America’s Most Dangerous White Supremacist.
The award, established in the 1970s, honors individuals who have significantly contributed to advancing diversity and community welfare. The award is named in memory of Hank Meyer, a well-known Miami Beach publicist credited with bringing more than 60 shows to Miami Beach between the 1950s – 70s. They named a Boulevard after him because he brought The Jackie Gleason Show, Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, Mike Douglas, Jack Paar, Dinah Shore, Red Skelton, and The Ed Sullivan Show to Miami Beach. In the 70s, he honored journalist Walter Cronkite with the very first Hank Meyer Headliner Award.
Since then, it has gone to several prominent journalists annually, including Dan Rather, Barbara Walters, and Tom Brokaw. As a well-known publicist, Meyer believed in the work of MCCJ (now Mosaic Miami) and thus loaned his talents and connections to the organization. Since his passing in 1999, the award has continued to recognize those who embody Mosaic Miami’s values, including Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. and ABC’s “What Would You Do?” John Quiñones, NPR’s Michelle Martin, MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid, ABC’s Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, New York Times Op-Ed columnist Charles M. Blow, and NPR’s Joshua Johnson, to name a few.
“While I have always strived to be an objective reporter, there is no objectivity, no “other side” when it comes to shining the glaring spotlight on all forms of bigotry and those who perpetrate hatred,” said Peter Maer. “From my earliest days as a reporter in small-town Illinois to my years of covering national news, I reported as I saw it.” He covered the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta in the 1970s and was often there with the late John Lewis. He interviewed the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. just days after his wife, Alberta Williams King, was shot as she played the organ at Ebenezer Church. In 1988, on a trip to Moscow with President Reagan, he recalled that he “secretly recorded and later broadcast the stories of Russian “Refusedniks,” Jews who were refused permission to leave the then-Soviet Union.” Maer received an Overseas Press Club Award for that coverage. In 2019, he accepted the “Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award” from the Interfaith Alliance and later became a member of the Alliance’s board of directors. After retiring from CBS News, Maer has done all he can to share stories of those who fight hatred, including the Kelvin Pierce story.
John Kozyak, a childhood friend and former Humanitarian Silver Medallion winner, will present Peter Maer with the Hank Meyer Headliner Award. “After more than 60 years of friendship, I can confidently say Peter is richly deserving of this award,” said Kozyak. He highlighted how Peter introduced him to the Interfaith Alliance and the powerful story of Kelvin Pierce, whose traumatic upbringing under a notorious white supremacist father exemplifies the critical work we do at Mosaic Miami to combat hate and promote understanding.
The story goes that when Peter hired Kelvin as a contractor to build his house, they developed a mutual respect. Peter was more than a client; they became friends, and when Kelvin approached him for advice on going public with his painful life story, Peter looped Rabbi Jack Moline, the then-President of the National Interfaith Alliance, into the mix. The Rabbi offered the early guidance that Kelvin needed. He also provided a special audience for one of Kelvin’s first public appearances, an opportunity to speak to a Virginia Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion held at the State Capitol. Faith leaders from all denominations were stunned and moved by Kelvin’s presentation that day in Richmond. “The book is a hard read, but an important one at that,” said Maer, who is reading Sins of My Father for a second time in preparation for the fireside chat. “I grew up as the only Jew in a high school in Granite City, Illinois, but I never experienced racism myself. Kelvin Pierce’s story exemplifies inner strength to fight his indoctrination and overcome both physical and psychological abuse.”
To further underscore the strong bonds of friendship and shared commitment to community advocacy, the event will include a book signing session, allowing attendees to engage with Peter Maer and Kelvin Pierce. This gathering will be open to the public, reinforcing Mosaic Miami’s commitment to making essential discussions accessible to all community members.
“We are thrilled to honor Peter Maer with the Hank Meyer Headliner Award,” said Matt Anderson, Executive Director of Mosaic Miami. “His dedication to telling the truth has illuminated the journeys of many who seek a more inclusive and unified community. We look forward to an inspiring evening of conversation and reflection.”
Event Details:
▪ Date: February 6, 2025
▪ Time: 5:30 p.m.
▪ Location: Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134 ▪ Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36755/production/1225414
▪ Price: $60
ABOUT MOSAIC MIAMI:
Mosaic Miami, Inc. was initially founded in Miami in 1935 as the Miami Branch of the National Conference of Christians & Jews. Later, the group was renamed the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews. In 2011, in recognition of its embrace of people of ALL faiths and secular backgrounds, the organization formally changed its name to MOSAIC MIAMI, Inc. Today, it goes beyond its original intent by creating a haven for dialog, training inclusive leaders, and promoting understanding for all faiths, races, and cultures through education, advocacy, and conflict resolution. It hosts the oldest continuous interfaith clergy dialog in the United States and presents prejudice-reducing programs in local high schools, among other activities. For more information, please visit https://mosaic-miami.org/ or call 305-755-6096.
