Joe Madison is a groundbreaking radio personality and civil rights activist who has devoted his career to raising awareness about issues around the world, encouraging dialogue among people of different backgrounds, and raising money to support multicultural education and institutions. Known as “The Black Eagle,” Joe can be heard weekday mornings on SiriusXM’s Urban View.
While majoring in sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, Joe was an All-Conference running back and baritone soloist with the University’s concert choir.
As a young adult, Joe worked in urban affairs at Seymour & Lundy Associates and was active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). At age 24, he became the youngest executive director of the NAACP’s Detroit branch, then rose to the position of director of the NAACP Political Action Department in 1978 before becoming a member of the national board for more than a decade.
Joe’s radio career began in 1980 at Detroit’s WXYZ-AM. In the early 1990s, he joined an otherwise white lineup at WWRC-AM. There, he worked to develop crossover appeal while discussing racial and other issues with the station’s multiracial audience. In the late 1990s, Joe hosted an overnight talk show at WWDB before moving to Washington, DC’s WOL-AM. The popularity of this led to syndication on the Radio One Talk Network and eventually SiriusXM.
Joe uses his show as a platform for inspiring action on critical issues affecting the African American community. He has interviewed opinion and policy-makers including presidents (Obama), First Ladies (Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton), Gen. Colin Powell and more. In 2015, Joe set a Guinness World Record for the longest on-air broadcast, 52 hours, which raised more than $250,000 for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He serves on the board of the American Red Cross.
Joe lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Sharon. They have four children and five grandchildren.
