Crusader Staff Report
Black publishers and journalists from around the country are preparing to travel to Norfolk, VA to attend the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) annual convention June 26-30.
For five days members of America’s Black Press will attend seminars, meetings, conference sessions and social events to network, discuss and confront the challenges in the print industry and the future of NNPA.
The NNPA organization represents over 200 Black newspapers across the country that are celebrating 191 years of the Black Press.
NNPA Chairman and Crusader Publisher Dorothy R. Leavell will lead a panel discussion on the topic: Black Press vs. Fake News. Additional panelists will include Benjamin Crump, Esq., accomplished Civil Rights attorney; Sarah Glover, president, National Association of Black Journalists; Deborah Gray-Young, managing partner, D. Gray-Young, Inc. Consulting.
Leavell and NNPA President Benjamin Chavis will lead the second annual National Town Hall Meeting on Educational Excellence. The convention’s host publisher, Brenda Andrews, publisher of the Norfolk, VA New Journal & Guide, will present the meeting’s opening remarks. Chavis will moderate the event. Panelists include Dr. Elizabeth Primas, NNPA ESSA Program Manager; and Linda Langley Davis, M.S. Ed., Director, Educational Services of Hampton Roads, Inc.
The highlight of the convention is the annual Merit Awards competition that crowns the nation’s best Black newspapers for journalism excellence. The St. Louis American seeks to win its seventh consecutive Russwurm/Sengstacke Award for General Excellence, the Black Press’ top national honor.
