April 21, Suffolk, VA -

HRBMP’s Team Media Professionals members Barbara Ciara, Cheryl Ross and Carmen Moore (pictured in photo, left to right) completed the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure ride today, riding anywhere from 10 to 65 miles to raise nearly $800 for diabetes research.

Team member Loretta Kahn was unable to participate, but helped contribute to the fundraising total.

Barbara and Carmen each rode 10 miles. Cheryl rode 65 miles. They were all elated once the ride was over, happy to have raised the money and completed the ride. Carmen said the event inspired her to continue working on getting fit. Cheryl said she loved the ride and its cause and would consider doing another Tour de Cure.

You can continue to help Team Media Professionals with donations through mid-May. Members must turn in all money to the ADA by May 21. Each rider is obligated to raise funds separately. If you’d like to contact a rider for more information to contribute to their ride, please use the “Contact Us” form provided on this website. It can be found on the homepage, on the row with other tabs including “Scholarships” and “Join Us.” Please be sure to specify the rider you are trying to contact.

The first part of the narrative series, by Cheryl Ross, can be found at http://www.whro.org/home/html/american-graduate/stories.html   This story chronicles a Portsmouth High School senior’s fight to overcome major advertisities to achieve a dream of graduating high school and to do so on time. The companion TV documentary, produced and hosted by Lisa Godley, can be found online (see “more information” link below).

According to WHRO, the TV documentary explores “why Hampton Roads consistently ranks above the statewide dropout average.” According to a WHRO press release, “The public media initative, American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, is helping communities across America identify and implement solutions to address the high school dropout crisis. Supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the multi-year campaign is designed to raise awareness and dialogue through national and local multiplatform programming.” For more information, visit www.whro.org/home/html/american-graduate/

Personally, I’m thankful not only for the folks who have helped HRBMP raise research funds, but also for the other Hampton Roads-area Tour de Cure cyclists who are not members of HRBMP.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve  met quite a number of these folks during my training rides on Chesapeake’s Great Dismal Swamp Trail, a wonderful, 8-plus-mile stretch of road devoid of cars.  Not only has it been encouraging to find so many people committed to helping others, but the training rides have been a wonderful way to stay fit and meet people from many segments of the community, from business leaders to homemakers and so on.

Raising money for the Cure has been a rewarding experience on so many levels. Again, thanks to those who have contributed money to the cause. And thank you, my new cycling friends.

Barbara Ciara and filmmaker Booker T. Mattison on Feb. 23 at the world  premiere of  “Bama and Fred” at Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA

HRBMP’s own Barbara Ciara made her film debut Feb. 23 in “Bama and Fred,” a Regent University production. In the short film, Barbara plays the daughter of a widow dealing with depression in the wake of her husband’s recent death.  Filmmaker and author Booker T. Mattison executive produced the film, which will begin making the rounds at film festivals following the premiere screening. Booker, now a longtime film professional, is a former HRBMP scholarship winner! Go  Booker and Barbara.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS:

Kafi Rouse, award-winning former HRBMP president, lands new position

Award-winning former HRBMP president Kafi Rouse has headed off to New Haven, Connecticut to become the director of public relations and marketing for Planned Parenthood of Southeastern New England.   Kafi has been a stellar HRBMP member. Under her leadership, our organization won NABJ’s Chapter of the Year. We wish Kafi well and we will miss her!

• Tuskegee Airmen are honored at the NABJ Hall of Fame event held on January 26, 2012 at the Newseum in Washington, DC.

Seems that filmmaker George Lucas has more to thank than his own money  for making Red Tails, the long-awaited big screen movie about the Tuskegee Airmen.  In fact, his and our thanks  for the story of the WWII black fighter pilots  extends WAY back, to the 1940s, when the Black Press was writing their narrative like no others.

The importance of the Black Press’s role in the reporting of the Airmen’s story particularly resonated last week at the NABJ Hall of Fame event, a ceremony that emphasized the importance of racially diverse newsroom staffs and celebrated  legendary black journalists.  During the ceremony, a speaker pulled out a 1940s  copy of the Norfolk Journal and Guide, a Black Press paper, that blared news of the Tuskegee Airmen on its front page. I was overwhelmed by the sight, aware that for decades the  Airmen had been largely ignored by history. But that front page, in one of our own local papers no less, was proof: Way back in the ’40s, there were journalists who saw the importance of this story.  Black journalists.

While NABJ honored news professionals at the Hall of Fame ceremony, they also honored the Tuskegee Airmen. About 15 of the Airmen attended the event donned in regal red jackets and a regal air. That night, they thanked black journalists for telling their story and we thanked them for their service to our country.

What was so overwhelmingly clear that evening  is why it’s  important for newsrooms to reflect the people they serve. It takes many points of view to produce stories that truly reflect the hopes, dreams and concerns of an array of readers.

We all know that diversity numbers in newsrooms have been falling. Do we sit idly by and say “Oh, well,” or do we stand up and try to do something to reverse the trend?

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen’s  fight for a place in history makes the answer to that question pretty clear.

Cheryl Ross, President, HRBMP

Cheryl Ross, President, HRBMP

NABJ President Greg Lee and HRBMP President Cheryl Ross at the NABJ Hall of Fame Awards, January 26, 2012

January 2012: Industry Wide and Industry Wise, Diverse Newsrooms Matter by NABJ President Greg Lee Jr.

 Nearly 18 years ago, as an intern in the Associated Press Sports Editors’ Sports Journalism Institute, I wrote a story about the lack of diversity in sports departments. I quoted Justice B. Hill, then sports editor at the News-Sentinel (Indiana), who challenged then-APSE President Dale Bye on the lack of black sports editors at daily newspapers.

 At the time there were only two, the other was Garry D. Howard of the Milwaukee Journal – who started the job about a month before I wrote my story in 1994. 

 In the years since, there have been a few to run sports departments at mainstream dailies. In 2012, only one – Lisa Bell Wilson of the Buffalo News – carries the baton. 

 ”I know things have changed since 18 years ago,” said Hill, a longtime NABJ member who has held various sports editing positions over his 30-year career. “I never thought … today it would be as bad as it is. Sports editors leave, but there is no one of color in the pipeline to fill those jobs. There is no pretense by editors when it comes to diversity.” 

 Who is responsible for the dearth of diversity in this segment of the industry? The sports editors? Their bosses? Accountability on the issue has jumped around like a hot potato. 

 Sports journalism can hardly be singled out. A look at the journalism industry as a whole reveals a similar and troubling pattern. 

 Just last month, NABJ member Steven Gray announced his departure from TIME Magazine, leaving the publication with no black correspondents. In the latest edition of Forbes Magazine, the publication released a list of 30 media members under 30 who were “changing the game.” It was alarming to see no blacks.  

 Recently, two respected journalists, CBS’ Russ Mitchell and CNN’s T.J. Holmes, left their jobs for new opportunities. Though both of these talented journalists worked for major news networks regarded as destinations for many of their colleagues, these men had long toiled on weekend shifts. Their situation became so out-of-sync with their abilities that they made a decision unheard of just a decade ago: Mitchell returned to the local network level and Holmes left to go to BET.  

 The moves were personal ones to advance their careers. I salute Mitchell and Holmes for taking a stand for their professional futures and refusing to be marginalized as “weekend warriors” in their respective newsroom. 

 Since becoming elected as president of the National Association of Black Journalists, I have also heard from many of you about the state of our industry. You have kept me informed on the state of black journalists in mainstream newsrooms. From members being banished to working weekends to filling nearly ten consecutive job openings with white men, NABJ will take a stand against these practices. 

 Many of you say you have been passed over as those less qualified received opportunities. You’ve also talked about seeing your newsrooms become less reflective of the readers and viewers they seek to attract. This is the trend on cable news networks, which seem to be experiencing a virtual journalism black-out. 

 Erin Burnett, a show booker for CNN just 10 years ago, has a primetime show on the network. Her story rings familiar for Hill, who over his career has seen qualified black journalists passed over for jobs by less experienced people. 

 ”It seems unfair,” Hill said. “There is no ‘Rooney Rule.’ Diversity used to be a good word. It doesn’t mean anything today.” 

 NABJ has repeatedly called upon cable news networks to improve their lack of diversity in prime-time programming. Groups like the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law have echoed the organization’s urgings. 

 Our concerns have largely fallen on deaf ears, but NABJ will continue to hold the industry accountable. 

 To that end, NABJ has issued its 2011 Thumbs Down Award collectively to all cable news networks – given for the absence of black journalists working on air, in prime time.  

 In 2011, NABJ executive board members offered solutions to CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton, who seemed receptive. Notably, NBC has made recent progress in further diversifying its non-primetime on-air and management staff. 

 In September, NABJ released its diversity census of management-level positions at the local and network level during the Congressional Black Caucus’ annual meeting. The report highlighted some abysmal statistics, putting the spotlight on one of the industry’s under-the-rug secrets: that diversity in the newsroom was not a priority. This report continues to gather momentum, and we aim to hold the networks accountable at the highest levels. 

 We also have our sights trained on the lack of diversity in the emerging and fast-developing field of new media. As 2010 NABJ Lifetime Achievement Winner Paul Delaney said in his acceptance speech: “We find ourselves fighting for our professional lives. New media resemble old media.”  

 Indeed, digital sites are popping out in fast numbers, yet black journalists are barely part of the explosion. 

 In the coming weeks, I am planning a series of advocacy visits to major media outlets, reintroducing them to NABJ and putting them on notice that they cannot afford to dismiss a diverse newsroom, not even in a poor economy that is forcing many newsrooms into survival mode.  

 When the economy was doing well, diversity failed to reach its full potential. Media companies who think diversity is something they cannot afford must understand that it is something they cannot afford to sacrifice. Diversity is a mindset, and it is NABJ’s job to change the mentalities of these executives. 

 For those who suggest that they are unable to find talented black journalists, NABJ will offer its own job portal, where our organization will filter and categorize our members’ resumes for companies seeking diverse talent. Their excuses will soon become extinct. 

 And we continue to challenge all of our media partners to join us in New Orleans at our annual convention and career fair – still the largest of its kind in the country – to not only find talented journalists to hire, but to sit, listen and learn about the challenges facing black journalists in mainstream newsrooms. 

 NABJ is here to help the industry reach its full potential, but it won’t be easy. Nearly two decades after our first interview, Hill reminds me we are travelling a long road. 

 ”We have taken giant steps back,” he said. “We need to hold people accountable. The industry needs somebody to shape the industry to help it reflect America.” 

 Amen, Brother Hill. The industry needs NABJ.

Greg Lee is the President of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Sr. Assistant Sports Editor at the Boston Globe. He can be reached at glee@nabj.org.