NABJ Strategizes for Future at San Diego Convention

It was an evening of a million and one twinkling stars.

Soledad O'Brien, the Cable Network News (CNN) anchor and special correspondent shone like a million stars, as she received her Journalist of the Year Award at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)'s Salute to Excellence Awards Gala which was held on Saturday, July 31st, the fourth day of the 35th convention of the organisation.

The NABJ convention and career fair with theme "The Power of Change" was held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, California, between July 28 and August 1.

The Salute to Excellence Award Gala, an event for the recognition of the best and the brightest in the pen profession, was one of the high points of the one-week convention of journalists of color.

It was one of the moments many of the participants had long anticipated, and the sparks on the faces of the audience while the event lasted bore eloquent testimony to the importance of the event to members of NABJ. The Elizabeth Ballroom, venue of the event, was packed full with participants decked in trendy attires.

Aside O'Brien, other stars of the journalism profession that were recognised for their various landmark achievements include Paula Madison of NBC News, who received the NABJ's Legacy Award; reporter and blogger Michael Feeney of the New York Daily News, who bagged the Emerging Journalist Award; and celebrated Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary, who won the Community Service Award.

Others included NABJ founder Paul Delaney who bagged the Lifetime Achievement Award. James Hawkins of Florida A&M University received the 2010 Educator of the Year Award, while Phillip Lucas of Howard University received the Student Journalist Award. Recognitions were also accorded a group of journalists in print and broadcast who have made significant impact. It was a fairly long list.

Remarkably, every of the awardees were in the eyes of the audience, deserving of the recognition and their approval reflected in the thunderous applause that greeted each name that was called.

It was a remarkable evening. And while many were still yearning for more, the curtains were drawn. The focus shifted to the Philadelphia 2011 kick-off party holding at the Douglas Tower of the hotel.

It was not all parties anyway, as most of the afternoons of the five day events were packed with intellectually stimulating activities including workshops that focused on different aspects of the journalism profession in the present and the future, career fair and exhibitions, authors showcase and some short courses.

Exhibitors included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Navy and Army as well as journalism departments of some notable universities. Beverage giants, Coca-Cola was on hand to showcase the health advantage of some of its products, just as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention gave health tips and literatures to participants.

Interestingly while the journalism schools and some media houses had on the spot interviews for prospective applicants, the FBI , the Army and Navy also had audiences with those who might be willing to have a career change towards intelligence and the military.

Some authors who were on hand to promote their books also took time off to append their signature on books bought at the bookstore.

The workshops are perhaps NABJ's avenue for improving the lots of its members and equipping them to face the challenges of the present and the future. The topics included self authorship, "How to turn your new stories into bestsellers," "Fame, fortune and freelance," "Brand yourself, secure your survival," and "Turning your passion into a P.R. career," among others. As noted by NABJ President Kathy Times in her opening charge, the whole programme was packaged with two things in mind: "empowerment and change."

Young and student journalists were not left out. A session with some distinguished journalists who are products of some media fellowships including the Ford Foundation, Neiman and Knight Fellowships, provided them the opportunity to have firsthand information on how practitioners can advance their career through fellowships.

The tight schedule was not enough to rob the gathering of the need to reach out to their maker in worship. The NABJ Gospel Brunch, which was held on Saturday morning took care of that, with ace Gospel singer, CeCe Winans and other artists leading the worship session.

The convention ended on Sunday, August 1, with attention focused on the 2011 convention in Philadelphia.

Olayinka Oyebode

Olayinka Oyebode, a journalist from Nigeria, was chosen by the World Journalism Institute to attend the convention as a recipient of the Belz International Media Fellowship. He was one of six journalists from Africa who received a fellowship stipend of $2,500 to attend the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (July 28 - August 1, San Diego, California) and one from Latin America who attended the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in 2010.

Oyebode is an assistant editor with the Nation newspaper in Lagos, Nigeria.