Joe Madison, who excelled as a student and football player at Washington University before launching his iconic civil rights and radio careers, died on Jan. 31, 2024 at 74 in Washington, D.C.
Madison, a native of Dayton, Ohio, graduated from WashU in 1971 with a degree in sociology. He was a first team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection during his senior year and the Bears were the co-conference champion that season.
A man of many talents, Madison was also a baritone soloist in the choir and a DJ on the campus radio station. He was the first person in his family to graduate college.
In 2017, Madison earned the WashU Arts & Sciences’ Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2019, he earned an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He also addressed Brown School graduates that day, reminding them that they must always remember those who have come before them.
“May they always inspire you with their vision and their valor, may their lives continuously remind each and every one of you that service is more important than success, that people are more important than possessions and most important of all, that principle is more important than power.”
Madison began his radio career in 1980 with WXYZ in Detroit. He went on to broadcast from WWDB in Philadelphia and WWRC and WOL in Washington, DC. He ultimately spent 15 years with SiriusXM.
In 2015, he broke the Guinness World Record for longest on-air broadcast (52 hours) and raised more than $250,000 for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Additionally, he was the first radio host to broadcast live from Cuba in more than 50 years.
According to a Washington Post obituary, Madison said, “I’m in the media, but I’m not a journalist.”
“I’m an advocate and activist who has a talk show.”
A true activist, Madison spent time in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, assisted workers following Hurricane Katrina and has been involved with multiple political demonstrations to bring awareness to critical issues across the globe.
In 2021, he went on a 73-day hunger strike to encourage the passage of voting rights and several months later, he played an integral part in the passing the Emmett Till Antilynching Act.
Even the Biden-Harris administration acknowledged Madison as a freedom fighting force.
“Whether it was a hunger strike for voting rights or his advocacy for anti-lynching legislation that I was proud to sign in 2022, Joe fought hard against injustice,” President Joe Biden said in a statement with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Madison aligned his platform with his purpose,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “Through his decades-long career in radio, he championed the fight for equity and justice. Our nation is better because of his voice.”
Radio personality Tavis Smiley also released a statement in Madison’s honor. “Pulling and praying for the family of Joe Madison,” Smiley said. “He loved us so, and was dedicated to our freedom and liberation everyday he cracked the mic. His voice will be sorely missed.”
At 24, he became the youngest executive director of the NAACP’s Detroit branch before being appointed the organization’s national political director and eventually being elected to the national board of directors where he served for 14 years.
Veteran journalist Charles Robinson, Madison’s longtime producer, shared what the activist contributed to radio.
“He was in the unique vanguard of Black radio,” Robinson said. “He was topical, funny and tough.”
Madison and his wife of more than 45 years, Sharon, lived in Washington, D.C. Their blended family includes four children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
In a statement, Madison’s family invited fans and friends to send condolences:
“Joe dedicated his life to fighting for all those who are undervalued, underestimated, and marginalized. On air he often posed the question, ‘What are you going to do about it?’
Although he is no longer with us, we hope you will join us in answering that call by continuing to be proactive in the fight against injustice. The outpouring of prayers and support over the last few months lifted Joe’s spirits and strengthened us as a family. We continue to ask for privacy as we gather together to support each other through this difficult time.”
Alvin A. Reid of the St. Louis American contributed to this report.
