JACKSON, MISS. – Representatives from 15 Historically Black College and University newspapers filled the banquet hall of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Jackson, Miss., last Friday.
In the aftermath of a typical hotel meal, it was time for the awards ceremony, which was part of the three-day conference which was sponsored and co-hosted by the Jackson State Blue & White Flash student newspaper/Office of Student Publications along with the Hornet Tribune of Alabama State University .
Gabrielle Maple, editor in chief of The Southern Digest, accepted the first award of the evening on behalf of the staff. The presenters had quickly let her know that she was not to take her seat anytime soon. More awards were on the way for The DIGEST…seven first place of 15 to be exact. Among these were Overall Excellence, Best News Package, Best Online, Best Graphics, Best Sports Column, Best Feature Photograph and Best Sports Story.
Other schools that were represented at the conference were Alcorn State University, Alabama State University, Dillard University, Florida A&M University, Grambling State University, Lincoln University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Prairie View University, Spelman College, Tennessee State University, Tougaloo College, Jackson State University and Lanier High School of Jackson, Miss. (Adopted mentor school of JSU Student Media Department)
The HBCU Newspaper Conference began in 1997 at Morgan State University as the vision of one of its students. He felt that Black students at HBCUs needed some type of common ground to share ideas and experiences. Thus, the HBCU Conference was spawn.
The conference included workshops and lectures hosted by professionals from various national and local media outlets and other industries related to journalism.
“It was a conscious decision to seek out graduates of HBCUs to talk about their experiences and share what they have learned,” said Betty Anne Williams, director of Black College Wire, an online news service catering to black college news.
Among those graduates was Dr. Reginald Owens from the Department of Journalism at Louisiana Technical College of Ruston. Owens, along with others, spoke about the importance of the first amendment in journalism.
“If it were not for the first amendment, the media would not have been able to bring the civil rights movement to the stage. It brought upon a new image for black folks,” said Owens about the amendment’s important role.
Owens also stressed the importance of the media in the Black community. “The biggest challenge for African Americans is to educate…to take the mystery out of the media. Too many people are afraid of it. Free speech ain’t free if you can’t speak it; if you don’t understand or don’t know how to speak.”
Throughout the three-day convention, workshops focused on different aspects of journalism such as sports, features, editorials and online publishing.
Closing the weekend was a job fair sponsored by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE). Representatives from companies such as Newsday, The New York Times, The Gannett Corporation, The Associated Press, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.), The Birmingham Times, The Mobile Register, The Monroe News Star, The Freedom Forum, The News-Journal (Dayton Beach, Fla.), The Star Banner (Ocala, Fla.,) and the Times Picayune (New Orleans), all interviewed students for job and internship opportunities.
Also on hand was a “Resume Doctor” ready to hand out helpful tips for job seekers.
“Most of our job fairs are just job fairs,” said Bobbi Bowman, diversity director for ASNE who cladded a white medical jacket as the Resume Doctor. “Students are interviewed, then leave. Here, it’s part of an overall conference. They can really come to talk about improving their newspapers and their skills.”
The event was supported by the Black College Communication Association. The BCCA is a not-for-profit organization, established through a grant from the Freedom Forum. Membership consists of HBCUs with communications programs. The mission of BCCA is to identify and implement resources necessary for strengthening communications programs at HBCU and provide technical assistance to those schools seeking accreditation. The organization is also on the cutting edge of helping to establish state-of-the-art hardware systems, which can be shared by member institutions to promote the understanding and advancement of communication as an academic and professional field.
The conference proved to be a success among all participants.
“The turnout was great. The presenters were wonderful. I can’t give them and my staff enough praise. They all did it out of their commitment to the industry,” said Sylvia Watley, director of student publications at Jackson State University, about the 197 participants at the Conference.
The 2004 HBCU Conference is scheduled to take place in Montgomery, Ala., with Alabama State University and Jackson State serving as co-hosts again.
Other awards won by the DIGEST staff includes Second Place Awards: A.J. Griffith – Best General Interest Column, Phawn Slack – Best Cartoon, Brandi Jade Thomas – Best Sports Photograph – Niqueta Williams – Best Sports Column, (TIE) Nikki Bannister & Niqueta Williams – Best Sports Story and Ryan Knight – Best Layout & Design. Third Place Awards: Nikki Bannister – Best General Interest Column and The DIGEST – Best News Package.
