NY4NY Honoree Spotlight: Michelle Miller

As an award-winning journalist and co-host of “CBS Saturday Morning,” Michelle Miller has been at the forefront of the leading news stories of our time. Covering stories from Hurricane Katrina to the murder of George Floyd, she has dedicated her journalism career to sharing the perspectives of people who have often been left out of the conversation, bringing visibility to their individual and collective struggles. 

Through her groundbreaking reporting, she has urged her audiences to take a deeper look at the racial disparities and social injustices behind the breaking news. In her coverage of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, she gave voice to people in the community who were trying to de-escalate the chaos that unfolded following the shooting death of Michael Brown. As the first CBS correspondent on the ground at Sandy Hook Elementary School, she shined a light on the extraordinary heroism of the teachers who died protecting their students. 

Michelle’s work to reveal the truths of people’s stories has been deeply informed by her own personal experiences. She recently became a New York Times bestselling author with her memoir “Belonging: A Daughter’s Search for Identity Through Love and Loss,” which details her decades-long journey to reckon with her own racial identity. Born in 1967, during a time of deep segregation, she was abandoned by her Latina mother, who presented as white and could not accept raising a child with a Black man. 

In her book, Michelle shares how she finally found her sense of belonging – in her birthplace of Los Angeles, in New Orleans where she met her husband and started her family, and as a reporter at CBS News in New York. She also writes about how she found her space supporting those who would otherwise have no platform to share their stories.

In a recent conversation with her fellow New Yorker for New York honoree Tanya-Birl Torres, Michelle reflects, “If people understand your contribution to whatever it is you belong to – whether it’s your country, whether it’s your community, whether it’s your family – they can’t leave you out.” 

CitizensNYC is proud to honor Michelle as a 2023 New Yorker for New York. Her commitment to uplifting diverse voices and advancing racial equity is critical to our mission to support grassroots leaders across New York City.