KCABJ News
During the Aug. 15 Zoom meeting of Kansas City Association of Black Journalists, members decided to sideline the get-together that had been scheduled for September.
COVID-19, or the new coronavirus, has made such gatherings a health risk. It also is why the last two KCABJ meetings have been virtual.
KCABJ members did discuss contacting Kansas City area educators and possibly offering journalism webinars to interested high school and college students who want to become journalists. The program would revive aspects of the KCABJ Urban Student Journalism Academy. The academy began in 1982, a year after KCABJ was founded. The last annual class of the academy was in the summer of 2015. Since then KCABJ has been unable to interest enough Kansas City area students in attending the free class in which four scholarships also have been awarded to the top performing students. A committee of KCABJ members is reviewing what might be offered during a webinar series and who might be interested.
At the urgings of KCABJ member Kaci Jones, Treasurer Bette Tate-Beaver said she would look into establishing a Cash App for the kcabj.org website so that people can pay their annual dues online.
The membership also discussed the need to re-establish its affiliation with the National Association of Black Journalists. That will require the election of new KCABJ officers. At the 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 membership meeting, people who are interested in running for the KCABJ board should declare their candidacy. The offices that will be open are president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and parliamentarian. Anyone wanting to declare their candidacy ahead of the meeting can send the information in an email to lewisdiuguid@gmail.com. Candidates must be paid members of KCABJ. Dues is $35.
Kaci was among the KCABJ members who attended the all-virtual NABJ-NAHJ convention Aug. 5-8. She reported that a benefit was that if two sessions that she wanted to attend occurred at the same time, she was able to view one and later watch a recording of the other. She was among members who said they hoped NABJ would offer a virtual aspect of the convention.
KCABJ President Lewis Diuguid attended a NABJ Region II Zoom meeting on Aug. 8. Sia Nyorkor, NABJ Region II director, was the host for the gathering. NABJ President Dorothy Tucker also attended giving her assessment of how the virtual NABJ convention went. Chapters in the region reported their latest news.
NABJ News
National Association of Black Journalists Executive Director Drew Berry reported that the organization exceeded its revenue goals for the Aug. 5-8 convention and had far fewer expenses this year.
NABJ Finance Director Nate Chambers added the organization “will meet our budgeted revenue goals. That is impressive in the COVID-19 environment.”
The joint NABJ-NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists) convention had 3,713 persons register.
The convention included a pre-recorded message from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, sessions on covering the killing of George Floyd, the unrest that followed nationwide, COVID-19 and a town hall on the strategy for overcoming social injustice.
News You Can Use
The Association for Women in Communication’s professional development series on Aug. 27 is offering “Know to Grow: Every Woman for Herself is a Losing Strategy.” Anne Doyle is the presenter. For more information, go to https://womcom.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=903060&item_id=1251339.
KC People
The Missouri Press Association has added the names of three journalists to its Hall of Fame. Former KCABJ President Kia Breaux is among them. Kia is the Midwest regional director for The Associated Press. The other inductees are the late Laura Hockaday, longtime society editor for The Kansas City Star; and Dane Vernon, former publisher of Vernon Publishing and former MPA President. KCABJ for years has had a scholarship named for Hockaday because of her efforts to include African Americans and other people of color in the society section of The Star. Learn more about the honor at https://apnews.com/e5de53768376bf98e7a72929b5b9949f?fbclid=IwAR2hZr0jLCIs5lpqBWutoql3X6Anh0yA1wmEzqT64hiuwqKBHFct_i-5GYA.
Former KCABJ member Jenee’ Osterheldt, now a culture writer for The Boston Globe, has won two 2020 Excellence in Features Awards from the Society for Features Journalism. She was recognized for general commentary and arts and entertainment commentary.
KCABJ: News and notes 