BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024: Cathleen Trigg-Jones: 'My mission in life is to give love to children who've never known love'

Cathleen Trigg-Jones
Photo credit Audacy

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/ WCBS 880) – Cathleen Trigg-Jones, an award-winning journalist and founder of iWoman TV, sat down for an interview to share her journey and the dreams she has brought to life with WCBS 880 anchor Levon Putney.

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Raised in Dover, Delaware, adopted by a military family, Trigg-Jones’ path has been anything but ordinary. Her dreams started early and were ambitious.

"Everything that I said I was going to do when I was literally seven, eight years old, was going to live in New York. I was going to be on television, star in TV shows, and have my own talk show,” Trigg-Jones said. “At some point I said I wanted my own network and every single one of those boxes I've checked off.”

Due to her personal experience of starting life in foster care, Trigg-Jones founded the Trigg House, an organization that provides mentorship, giving foster youth support to successfully transition into adulthood. "I was an orphan and just about five years ago I went back on this whole journey of exploration to figure out who I am, where I came from,” she said. “I care deeply about those young people who have not had the opportunity that I was blessed with to be adopted.”

Cathleen Trigg-Jones speaks with Levon Putney about Black History Month.
Cathleen Trigg-Jones speaks with Levon Putney about Black History Month. Photo credit Audacy

She believes in the power of mentorship and support, especially for those who lack guidance from family. "So the goal with the Treehouse was to provide love, nurturing, some mentorship and a transition so that there's a place to call home," she said. “That's really my mission in life, is to give love to children who've never known love. They don't know what it's like to have a home or parents that care about them."

Through her years, Trigg-Jones shared challenges she’s had in the media industry, one in which was during a contract review with a news director in Richmond, Virginia. “Has anyone ever told you you have a speech impediment?" the director asked her. Surprised, Trigg-Jones responded, "No, actually, I've never heard that." The director suggested it might be an issue with slurring her 's' sounds, which Trigg-Jones interpreted as a veiled reference to Ebonics.

Reflecting on her journey, she shared, "I had reporters that would say, you're only here because you're black..." Despite these challenges, she remained resilient, smiling off the insults and taking her place in the industry. "But I'm here," she said.

She also opened up about her journey of self-discovery and identity, revealing, "At one time growing up, I did wonder why I wasn't born white." she said. Adding, "I later found out that my birth history, my mother was Caucasian. My dad was African-American. I didn't know them. I recently met my dad, which is a whole different story."

iWoman TV
Photo credit iWoman TV

"My mother sadly committed suicide. She hung herself before I had a chance to meet her. So I never got to meet her." This led her to question her identity during her early years, as she said, " I always wondered growing up why I had to be born black."

Her perspective shifted after attending a historically Black university, Howard University. "Until I went to an HBCU, can we give a shout-out to our historically black colleges and universities, because it just changed my entire life and the trajectory of my future." This moment not only deepened her appreciation for Black History Month but also helped her embrace her identity. “It helped with that appreciation for Black History Month, but just blackness."

Trigg-Jones founded iWoman TV to address disparities in the television and film industry, particularly for women and Black individuals. "iWoman TV was founded to give women an opportunity to display their talents, to have distribution," she said.

Her life contains pages of diverse roles, from working for then-Senator Joe Biden to acting and news anchoring in New York. She explained that each role has contributed to her understanding of the media and her desire to make a difference. "I literally feel like God placed me on this earth so that I could be a messenger and use all of the gifts and talents that I've been blessed with to go back and now teach and train and help other people come along," she said.

Black History Month holds a special place in Trigg-Jones’ heart, representing more than just a month-long celebration, it's a recognition of her identity and heritage. "All year long, I'm celebrating black people,” she said. “I'm celebrating having an opportunity to have this rich history, this rich culture that is ingrained in me that I was born into.”

While creating her own media empire, Trigg-Jones believes that the core thing that matters is making a difference in other people’s lives. "It's the lives that have changed that makes me really proud to be part of history. Because each of those people that you can make an impact on, the lives you can make a difference in, those are the people that are better off because of you."

Featured Image Photo Credit: Audacy