The Ford Motor Co., another NABJ supporter, announced that it is watering down its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. But, so far, none of NABJ’ s sponsors is known to have withdrawn their support from the organization.
With NABJ having been around for half a century, some might be inclined to take its continued existence for granted. Whatever internal squabbles and controversies besieged NABJ through the years, its members have always found a way to resolve them. But the current external attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs present a worrisome, existential threat to NABJ.
Corporate donors largely underwrite the NABJ’ s national convention, an event which generates the lion’ s share of the organization’ s operating budget. The loss of this support would be catastrophic. And, potentially, even more devastating is the sharp downturn in Black newsroom employment that’ s threatened by attacks on DEI in the nation’ s news media.
Last year, at the 2024 NABJ convention in Chicago, Rodney
Brooks, chair of the organization’ s finance committee, warned that“ anti-DEI sentiment” was spreading in the country and NABJ’ s funding could be put in jeopardy if Donald Trump was elected.
Trump’ s eventual election in November proved prophetic.
On January 20, 2025 – his first day in office – President Trump issued an executive order ending all DEI programs in the federal government, and in many areas of the private sector.
“ Even if we don’ t see a material reduction in funds soon, there will probably be an effect eventually,” Brooks said during a recent interview. He believes NABJ needs to find new funding streams and urges the group’ s leaders to move quickly to replace Drew Berry, its retiring executive director.
“ We need strong leadership, an executive director with national nonprofit organization experience who is a strong fundraiser,” Brooks said with an eye towards a troubling future for NABJ.
Weaver agreed.“ I don’ t’ want to give the impression that I think NABJ is at risk of becoming extinct, because I don’ t,” she said.“ But I do think that if we intend to keep thriving, we need to become more selfsufficient.” Weaver said this might be achieved through raising members’ dues, coming up with creative fundraisers, cutting back on certain NABJ services and reducing the size and cost of its annual convention.
In NABJ’ s earliest days, there was little money for fancy hotels and banquet spreads. Sometimes, members would double up in a hotel room, sleep on the floor, and dine on takeout pizza.
In more recent times, many NABJ members only know the comforts of attending the group’ s annual convention with the financial backing of their employers. Will the attacks on DEI dry up that support, and the grants that media organizations contribute to NABJ’ s coffers?
If so, how its members respond to this shifting financial support will determine whether NABJ will be around for another 50 years. •
Courtland Milloy is a former columnist for The Washington Post.
Photos courtesy of NABJ / Jason Miccolo Johnson
Left to right: NABJ founders Paul Delaney, Bill Dilday and Sandra Dawson Long Weaver; NABJ supporter, the Rev. Jesse Jackson; NABJ founders Sandra Dillard, DeWayne Wickham and Joe Davidson, and Linda Wright Moore, wife of NABJ founder Acel Moore.
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