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
Chicago Public Schools reveals plan for hub bus stop system amid driver shortage
CPS Chief Operating Officer Charles Mayfield presented a plan at Thursday's CPS board meeting that would bring back more school bus options for general education students.
Chicago Board of Education votes to approve CPS budget; CTU holds rally against it
The Chicago Board of Education voted to approve the 2025 fiscal-year budget Thursday. The Chicago Teachers Union held a rally against it.
Protestors hold rally after inmate Michael Broadway dies at Stateville Correction Center
Family members said Stateville Correction Center inmate Michael Broadway was asthmatic. On June 19, he collapsed and was later pronounced dead. Protestors claim unhealthy prison conditions contributed to his death.
Hundreds sexually abused at Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center: lawsuit
A new lawsuit claims that hundreds of people were sexually abused at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center on Chicago's Near West Side.
USPS letter carriers hold rally after postal worker killed in Chicago shooting
Letter carriers are calling for more protection on the job following the shocking murder of a Chicago postal worker.
Woman recounts being stuck on I-55 for 5 hours after storm hit; Expressway reopens in Channahon
The National Weather Service said preliminary information shows at least 28 tornadoes hit the Chicago region over the span of two days earlier this week.
Additional $5M secured for West Side residents impacted by last summer's flooding: Mayor Johnson
ABC7 visited some residents earlier this month, who have mold growing after last summer's flooding.
1st suburban Cook County Restorative Justice Court opens in Sauk Village, following Chicago's lead
A second chance is being offered for young people in south suburban Sauk Village. A court focused on restorative justice has opened.
Chicago store owner, employee charged with selling stolen goods; $2.5M in high-end merch confiscated
The Cook County Sheriff's Office said at least $2.5 million worth of high-end merchandise was confiscated from a Near West Side store, where it was for sale.
Sandra Kolalou sentenced to nearly 60 years in murder, dismemberment of landlord Frances Walker
The tenant was sentenced to spend nearly six decades in the murder of ther landlord, whose body parts were found in the freezer.