By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
WASHINGTON, TN — The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) kicks off its annual convention in New Orleans this week with a slate of panels aimed at informing and inspiring Black America and increasing voter registration rolls among individuals of color.
The NNPA is a trade association representing the more than 230 African American newspapers and media companies that comprise the Black Press of America.
In celebration of the 195th anniversary of the Black Press of America, the overall theme of the four-day convention is “Amplifying Our Voices for Freedom, Justice, Equality, and Equity.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone, including the hotel staff,” stated Cheryl Smith, an NNPA board member and publisher of Texas Metro News, the Garland Journal, and I Messenger Media.
On June 22 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, the convention begins with board meetings hosted by the NNPA and the NNPA Fund. In June 2023, Nashville is the host city.
A Chairman’s Reception formally starts the convention with greetings and acknowledgments from NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards, NNPA President Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., NNPA Convention Planning Committee Chair Terry Jones, New Orleans Tribune Publisher Beverly McKenna, Louisiana Weekly Publisher Renette Hall, and a proclamation from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
The reception also will feature acknowledgments from convention partners, sponsors, and other guests.
Video and in-person tributes will include Vice President Kamala Harris, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty, Universal Hip Hop Museum Executive Director Rocky Bucano, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, California Rep. Barbara Lee, and Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland.
Among the expected highlights are panel discussions like “Amplifying Voices of Generation Z and Millennials Through the Black Press of America,” moderated by Mark Thompson, the host of “Make It Plain.”
The panel plans to explore how young African Americans view the importance of the future of the Black Press. Featured panelists include Houston Forward Times On-Air Personality Jonita “Go JJ Go” Buchanan, Media Personality DaNeshia Bell, Videographer Joshua McMillian, The Bridge Publisher Lafayette Barnes, and New Orleans Data Weekly Journalist Melony Mainor.
Dr. Chavis will moderate “The Path to Inclusion is Electric: How GM Is Building an All-Inclusive Workforce to Build an All-Electric Future.”
Melinda Hightower, the managing director, and head of multicultural strategic client segments at UBS Bank, will host the session, “The Black Press on Equity and Wealth Building for Black America.”
Rosetta Miller-Perry, the publisher of the Tennessee Tribune, will join Baltimore Times Editor Paris Brown, Inglewood Today Publisher Ken Miller, and Washington Informer Reporter James Wright for the session.
Attorney Barbara Arnwine, the founder and president of Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC), and Daryl Jones, TJC’s chairman of the board, will host “Black America Get Out the Vote and the Black Press.”
Northern Kentucky University Professor Dr. David Childs will lead Defender Network Managing Editor ReShonda Tate-Billingsley, and Defender Network Social Justice Journalist Aswad Walker in a discussion about “The Black Press and the Antidote to Racism in America.”
The NNPA Fund will present its 2022 Messenger Awards during a dinner on Thursday, June 23.
Dr. John Warren, the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint publisher, plans to provide the invocation, while Mississippi Link Publisher Jackie Hampton will announce scholarship recipients.
NNPA Fund Chair and Wave Communications President & CEO Pluria Marshall Jr. and Fund Treasurer and Times Weekly Publisher Jayme Cain Casimere will present the Messenger Awards to NNPA journalists and publishers.
On Friday, June 24, the NNPA will host its 2022 Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Awards Gala. This year’s honorees include Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby Henry, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Jackson State University Football Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders and recording superstar and actress Stephanie Mills.
With hits like “Home,” “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” and “I Feel Good All Over,” Mills will speak about the importance of the Black Press in her life and perform a medley of her songs.
