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By Kenisha Pinckney, Staff Writer
Everywhere you looked, the Philadelphia Convention Center was a beehive of activity.
Well dressed young professionals scurried in all different directions: some attended engaging panel discussions, many went to the career and job fair and others reminisced with old friends.
That was the buzz as more than 3,000 participants convened at the 2011 National Association of Black Journalists convention.
“NABJ means the world to me. It’s a place where family connects, where we have each other backs, a place where we can exhale and develop skills that are going to change our lives,” said Kathy Y. Times, NABJ president as she ran off to yet another important event.
That can be said for just about all of the conventioneers. Attendees said they operate in a small universe. Many have come to the convention since college and have since formed lifelong acquaintances as NABJ members.
The organization was founded on Dec. 12, 1975 by 44 strong black men and women in Washington D.C. The essence of NABJ arose from their consistent dedication of providing programs and services to black journalists from around the globe. Some of their commitments include strengthening their fellow colleagues and the black community, providing professional development and bestowing recruitment and job opportunities for future black journalists.
“I don’t think I’d be in the position I am in now without it. NABJ gave me my first break when no one else did. I got my first real internship from NABJ in ’94 with the Grand Rapids Press, “ said Marc J. Spears, NBA writer for Yahoo! Sports. “After that the ‘flood gates’ opened with opportunities.”
Workshops at this year’s convention stressed on eating right and staying healthy, transforming life stories into memoirs, how to use digital media to implement the life of the LGBT community, techniques on how to draw an online audience, and many more. Many said today’s journalists must implement more than one skill in their everyday lives. They also said as technology is constantly changing, so is the world of journalism.
It’s apparent that NABJ has mothered many of the world’s finest and most accomplished journalists. Many traveled far and wide just to make the convention.
Whether it costs a little or a lot, many could not conceive the thought of missing the NABJ convention as members attend to reunite and rejuvenate.
“It’s a priority for me to come here every year. So as soon as registration starts I pay for my registration and ask for the time off in February because it can be difficult to get time off at my station, “ said Traci Grant, a reporter for NBC Bay Area. “I don’t want to miss NABJ!”
