In Her Footsteps Sheroe of Storytelling
Tenikka Smith Hughes is a three-time Emmy Award-winning evening news anchor, currently based in Jacksonville, Florida. She was born and raised in North Carolina and has worked in television news for more than 20 years with stops in Macon, Memphis and Charlotte. Tenikka is a well-respected journalist, known for her genuine spirit, compelling storytelling and compassion for others.
Tenikka’s command on the anchor desk, breaking news reporting and investigative journalism have been recognized by the Suncoast Regional Emmys and Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists. She was also awarded, “Anchor of the Year,” by the Florida Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Tenikka’s contributions also helped her news team earn a prestigious Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.
Tenikka is a youth literacy and education advocate. The love of reading that sparked her childhood dream of becoming a journalist is a gift she has dedicated to sharing with others. In 2018, she founded Tenikka’s Books for Kids, an annual book donation drive that has distributed more than 40,000 free books to children through the Jacksonville Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. The literacy initiative promotes year-round reading and empowers families to create home libraries.
Tenikka also volunteers as Communications Coordinator and Scholarship Selection Committee member for the Annie and Sallie Ann Wheeler Memorial Scholarship Endowment, a first-of-its-kind fund honoring two Black women who educated three generations in the rural North Carolina county where Tenikka was born and raised. The scholarship benefits graduating seniors at her high school alma mater, creating pathways for others from circumstances similar to her own.
Her literacy and education advocacy has earned numerous honors, including the Angelo B. Henderson Community Service Award from the National Association of Black Journalists; the Mary J. Brogan Leadership Award from the Florida Literacy Coalition; the Media Friend of Education Award from Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators; the READ USA Mark Landen Memorial Award for Democracy in Journalism; and recognition as a Community Champion by the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024.
Tenikka graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Benedict College in 2003. While at Benedict, she was also a member of the School of Honors and served as Miss Benedict College. Tenikka earned a Master of Journalism from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2004. Tenikka enjoys traveling and discovering great restaurants with her husband, Tim.