In Black America; National Association of Black Journalists and the Black Press; Part 2, Advocacy and Identity

You From the Longhorn Radio Network, the University of Texas at Austin, this is in Black America. One of the things we find interesting magazine publishers is that as so-called integration spreads the hung up in thirds on the part of Black America. For Black magazine increases, I mean, every time you turn around, a new Black magazine is found that health, chess players, goggles, black tennis players,

one of the most remarkable phenomena of this tier is that a so-called integration increases the hung up in thirds for Black magazine which rejects Black women in a certain way. Black men in a certain way is increasing, and that's one of the things that we have to take into consideration when people ask how you go out of business. In fact, the interest is increasing. Laurent Bennett, author, and executive editor Ebony magazine. On March 16, 1827, 170 years ago, the nation's first Black newspaper Freedom Journal was established. In 1847, 150 years ago, the first edition of Frederick Douglass' North Star was published. In addition, 1997 marks the 119th anniversary of the first Black newspaper published in Chicago, the Chicago Conservatory, and the 92nd anniversary of the Chicago Defender. The Chicago Defender newspaper was not only the great recruiting one of the most impactful domestic migration in American history.

It was a journal that became one of the few courts of last resort for millions of Blacks living under siege in a mob-controlled Southland. I'm John L. Hanson Jr., and welcome to another edition of In Black America. On this week's program, The Black Press, advocacy and identity in the 21st century, part 2, in Black America. From the beginning, from the 19th century, Africa was a major focus of the Black Press. As a matter of fact, it was a major, greater focus in the 19th century than it is today. We need to return to that. But obviously, we ought to be involved in relationships with Africans. I worked with a magazine. We established three magazines in Africa. We had Urban E Africa, and we can talk to you about it and develop problems because of language barriers and from the French speaking to the English speaking. We are today publishing a major magazine, Urban E South Africa, and we're doing very well in South Africa. But we have a responsibility.

We happen to have the resources and we're trying. But the answer is yes. We should seek every opportunity to do that. Last July, the National Association of Black Journalists held his 22nd Annual Convention in Chicago. More than 3200 Black Journalists, Academic Missions, Public Relations Executives and Students gathered for five days to rededicate themselves to the 4th and 5th Estates. This was the second time NABJ had met in Chicago. For five days, conventioneers had an opportunity to exploit issues at the forefront of the industry and the world around us. Some were at this year's convention where some of the premier communicators in the world, and that was evident at the open preliminary session that examined the history, current status, identity, and future of the African American press. The discussion was motivated by the Roman Bennett, author and executive editor, Ebony magazine. On May 5, 1905, Robert Sinstag had a start at the Chicago Defender, and he had a nine-point platform. The first point was that racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed. The second point, racially unrestricted membership in all unions. The third point, equal employment opportunities on all jobs, public and private. Point number four, true representation in all United States police forces.

Number five, the complete cessation of school segregation. Number six, the establishment of equal opportunity. I'm sorry, equal occupancy in all American housing. And finally, number seven, well seven is the end of our current platform, and that is federal intervention where compliance at the state level and civil rights matters breaks down. And I say there were nine points initially. The two points that are no longer a part of the Chicago Defender platform are number one federal legislation to abolish lynching. And number two, the representation on the president's cabinet. Now, I say this for you to understand that the seven points which are still part of our platform are seven of the nine points which were formed by Mr. Abbott on May 5, 1905.

As you listen to those seven points, you might say, well, my goodness, that sounds like what's going on today. And my point is that leads me at least to believe several things. Number one, the battle is not over. I don't any of you forget that, especially all of you young ones out there, the battle is not over. The battle unfortunately is still going in many cases along the same front. Number three, the black press has a role and we will be here to fulfill that role. And I thank all of you for allowing me the opportunity to be here at this convention. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for those you have made. Clemson is perhaps a number one institution, 17,000 students of which one thousand of life. You're right. I have devoted most of my life to the black press instead of black press.

It's also important to know that I have done so without compensation. Most of the research has come out of my salary. There are dozen square words of black newspapers, definitely newspapers in America. It just so happens that we are studying about the black newspaper. Now the largest Jewish newspaper involved other Cincinnati of Hollywood, I give you some idea. The black press is not a single phenomenon. And when the rule been in May the point about freedom's journalism, when I was asked to address you about the role of advocacy, the first thing that involved in my mind was March of 1827, when the first black newspaper evolved. And at that time, of course, they made the point that others has spoken for us too long. But also it said things of course, which concerns us daily, they were very much concerned about the negativeism in the press. The role of the black press is still very much with us and to you who are in print journalists that wish to say, as a point out, you are on the front line for American democracy, you are in the trenches, you are a historian, because you write print history every day.

And the key point for you to remember is that your words, your phrases, your sentences are indeed a part of, of course, American historiography. One of the ways we measure if people is by another rare achievers, the black press is very much a literary document instrument. Another important point of course in the black press is a vanguard. And just a moment I will say a few more words about the black press as institutions. Evident magazine institution is not a press, it's very radical. But as I've said the black press for the past 15, 20 years, one point must be known that the black press is culture, the institution, it generates culture. And you're in the city of Chicago, the black press is very much like the ancient city of Timber II. It deceives, synthesizes and generates culture. I will say a few more words about circulation, I'll say some words about circulation and about leadership.

Circulation is the key, because when Chester Franklin evolved the Kansas City call of 1919, he went door to door man to man, nor the bill of his paper. He wanted to touch the people, he wanted to give his papers his legitimacy. The black press is empowering. And as far as the role of the black press in the future, it's very critical that we deal with issue of technology. You can date the, might say, scientific revolution from 1983. That's when I B.M. introduced the personal computer. That was a personal computer, but I B.M. have been able to give it distance. Also the terms of the future, we must of course bring back the teacher. And educate our young people as to the worth of education. You have Samuel Cornish and John Westworld were here today. They were saying to young people, learn as much as you can, about as many different subjects as you can. Abbott exalted the family. Abbott's dictum was, does nothing more for our reaching, of course, than the influence of the family.

The family is the key, and the black press is a history of that. The black press in the very best association of certain cities, Pittsburgh Courier, Chicago Defender, and I'm offered to only God. My book, P.B. owns, is a history of the only God, and I just published last May, which you mentioned, which is 12 people to buy, the black press in the Midwest. It's the first narrative history of the black press in Illinois, and it includes our Michigan other states as well. So I'm honored to be with you, and thank you very much. Thank you. What did you start as editor-in-general manager and assistant to the public, as a collaborative work? Thank you. Good afternoon. I get very emotional when I talk about some black press. I really do, because I really am a product of the black press. I've never worked for any other media, but the black press. I'm very proud of that. And I look over this audience, and I see many of you out there, and you wouldn't be in the position that you're in today that wasn't for the black press.

And as long as black people have problems, and I'm sorry, as you need to, their cause, we will need the black press, and it will be here. And I'm encouraged, because many of you will be a part of that future. When I got ready to come to this meeting, my father was 89, and he is falling step into hell. I said, what would you say to the young girl I was today? And his response was that I would tell them, first of all, to be honest and truthful, and responsible, and address the causes of them, masses of black people. And so important, because, as I said, the general press knows that we ourselves are in the best position to interpret our own problems and concerns. So the black press is an, it is an advocacy press. It is, it has the same function, and Roland had 170 years ago. And you know what? The two strongest institutions in this society, black institutions, the black press, and the black church.

And if we are for the survive, as people in this country, we will need that black press and support. I'm encouraged to be here, I mean, you on your 22nd anniversary, I mean, convention here, and I say, let's get on with the subject of talking about the problems of black America. We must hurry. The chair has two questions, and we will have maybe a question or two from the audience. We're going to ask Vernon to come and make a comment, and then we're going to have a couple of questions, and we're going to go out of here. Thank you. I hope we can get down to, let us not become confused. We're talking about advocacy journalism. Simply being a publisher of a black newspaper does not necessarily mean you are an advocacy journalist. Because some of the most often time newspapers I know have to be on my black people. I have a Washington had a problem with the Democratic machine buying all certain smaller community newspapers, which would do it in a Washington.

What we must get at immediately, I think, is the fact that most of the people at this convention do not work at black institutions. So can you still be an advocacy journalist, and at the same time work with white folks? Well, some of us have been able to get away with it, and I think somebody should ask some questions about that. What is an advocacy journalist? I think we ought to have somewhere on the agenda for the day, the fact that if you are a reporter, you've got a problem trying to be an advocacy journalist. Or can you be fair and right of paper, a right to undo paper that does not permit you to be a columnist. I was a newspaper columnist on the two fight provocations that I worked with. At the same time, I was expected to be fair.

We had a journalist, purifying journalists at Chicago sometimes, million millions during the Harold Washington campaign. She was an advocacy journalist without being advocacy in all counts. So she was assigned to do a piece along with two white journalists, one Harold Washington's campaign. And when she saw what they had written, she flipped. She said, you're not covering this with accuracy. She made them justify some of the statements they were making, the same way they would if they were writing about mayor daily. They'd have to check it out. She said, what is the source of this information? Where did you get it? Was this person influenced by the opposition? This is an advocacy journalist by making people do the right thing. By the same token, I know of another black journalist when a story was written referring to black kids walking in the suburbs like raccoons.

She didn't see anything wrong with it. That means you haven't started the room in its books. You haven't started anything because anybody would know that you don't use the word coon in connection with black people. And it ain't funny. So let us make sure we are not isolating ourselves when we discuss advocates. The journalism because of the positions every hole, thank you. Time is a demon, the revised topic. And I just want to ask, I had the revised topic. It is advocacy and identity to black press. We're both major themes of black America and the black press. As a matter of black, black people would not have survived psychologically and sociologically. And not been to the great African American newspaper panel. The chairman's question, two questions. One first is a provocative question.

A couple of answers and we'll go to the next one. What do you think the relationship is between the black press and blacks who don't work with the black press? Is that relationship? Should that be a relationship? What should we be doing for one another? Should we be doing anything for one another? A provocative question is not on their gender. What is the relationship between the black press and the black should don't work? A quick comment to that. You might be spending time here and not there. And one of the private orders that the public is a woman for the African American newspaper. And I dare say that we have had it for a better performance. He had a good foundation in the black community. And we have other sectors in black community. You might have been saying this, but we must remember that we have always trained ourselves. I know what this can be. It must be hundreds of young people who are not as good as them.

Because we know what this can't be. We have trained black press and went home. We are an easy-to-use person. That's why I thought a couple of words were very good. And one of the things that we do is just how to get out of the black press. I think you come out and let us know that we're doing it. One quick, let's go ahead. What should the relationship be today? That's not talking about training. Is there a relationship that should be an ongoing relationship?

I think the relationship is involved. At one time, the relationship was very strange. I don't know how very complex it was. I think there was a relationship where he does it. We don't know what this can be. I think the relationship is very strange. We don't know what this can be. We don't know what this can be. We don't know what this can be. We don't know what this can be.

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From the University of Texas at Austin, this is the Longhorn Radio Network. From the University of Texas at Austin, this is the Longhorn Radio Network. From the University of Texas at Austin, this is the Longhorn Radio Network.

From the University of Texas at Austin, this is the Longhorn Radio Network.