Within the first few weeks of her starting a job at KSHB 41 in October 2016, reporter Rae Daniel remembers that anchor Cynthia Newsome had welcomed her with open arms. Newsome invited Daniels to her church and even had her over for Thanksgiving.
When Newsome passed earlier this week, following a long battle with cancer, Daniel said she heard many similar stories from former coworkers and viewers.
“Everyone was so special to her,” said Daniel. “She wanted anyone who came into that newsroom just to feel welcome and feel that love and just know that, ‘Hey, Kansas City is your home. I'm your home and I'm here for you.’”
Daniel spent the last decade working alongside Newsome, often on KSHB’s daytime news team. She said Newsome very quickly slotted into a mentor role, and helped her manage the stress and darkness that comes with working in journalism.
“News can be so heavy. There were moments where I would just have breakdowns and cry,” said Daniel. “I would call her. She’d remind you that you are so worthy. You are so enough. Hearing that when you feel mentally drained is just like, ‘OK, I can do this for another day.’”
Beyond the newsroom, Daniel said Newsome’s work to support and uplift young Black women in Kansas City was often just as inspiring as her work as a journalist.
In 1997, the same year she started her career at KSHB, Newsome founded Awesome Ambitions, a nonprofit college and career readiness program that has helped thousands of young women across the Kansas City metro.
“Seeing her talk to these young girls and women, it definitely inspired me,” Daniel said. “It made me think, ‘What can I do to use my gifts to inspire?’ She truly wanted Kansas City to just realize how many great people there are in this city.”
- Rae Daniel, reporter, KSHB 41
