The following statement was released Saturday, July 15, 2023, by the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
Two important journalism organizations will be celebrating historic milestones beginning next year. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024 in Hollywood, California. That celebration precedes the National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) 50th anniversary celebration that starts in Cleveland in 2025 and culminates in Washington, D.C. in 2026. The organizations periodically host joint conventions, but the upcoming occasions present an opportunity for each to have its own individual spotlight. Initially, next year’s conference was scheduled to be a joint event but NAHJ expressed its interest in a unique celebration. NABJ’s unique celebration was already built into its upcoming schedule of conferences.
“We are looking forward to honoring our past, relishing our present and seizing the future of NAHJ as we return to where it all began in California,” said NAHJ President Yvette Cabrera. “We welcome our NAHJ members to join us in Hollywood as we celebrate our historic 40th anniversary. We’re headed home.”
“NABJ Founders and leadership are already planning an array of events that commemorate our founding in December of 1975. We are so excited that so many of our Founders are still with us and will be able to enjoy the bounty of the fruit from their courageous labor,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker.
The organizations believe there is much to honor from our collective struggle for equity and fair news media coverage of our respective communities. We owe it to our members to continue providing training and advocacy inside and outside of our successful conferences that also recognize our unique histories, our triumphs and our future. We look forward to working together again to further the pursuit of journalists of color.